Chasing Despair: Will you grant my wish?
by Blondiiloli
Summary: JayXNorma. She was their silent cheerleader...They never noticed...She held her hand out for him, but he was blind. Then out of the darkness comes a destiny. And today she will make a change, but not for the better...I suck at summaries...
1. Hajimari no hi

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Tales of Legendia, or the characters, or anything except this little plot line.**

**Charaters: Norma, Jay, Grune, Senel, Shirley, Chloe, Will, Moses, maybe a few OC's**

**I've always felt like Norma thinks differently then she acts…**

_**Chasing Despair**_

_"Hajimari No Hi"_

"Norma?" the shrill voice of Shirley Fennes said to the treasure hunter, Norma who was asleep one Will's couch for the third time today, "Will you PLEASE wake up?"

Norma stirred slightly, still in dream world as far as anyone was concerned. Everyone was waiting for Norma to wake up, Will had a mission for everyone to go on and they couldn't find out what it was until _every_ member of the group was awake. Everyone just starred at Norma in annoyance.

"Can't she sleep during the night?" Senel sighed, rubbing his forehead. Even though he could sleep until noon, at least he was awake for the rest of the day, unlike Norma, who seemed to have not a care in the world.

"…" Jay starred at her blankly and shook his head, "She is constantly a burden to the rest of us who at least _try_ to sound interested in something other than obscure fantasies." He rolled his eyes and sighed, "I'm beginning to feel that we should start the meeting without her."

Moses Sandor, the stupid bandit as some would say, folded his arms across his chest, "She ain't gonna wanna go on anymore adventures anyway."

Standing next to Moses was Chloe, "I have to agree with Sandor on this, "She glared at the sleeping girl, "We can continue without her."

The group concurred and began the meeting. Will pulled out a folder of files and spread them out on the table, "Well, since it appears Norma will not be joining us I will take the liberty of asking Jay to come up with a strategy that does not involve her."

Jay nodded slightly annoyed, "I will be sure not to include that stupid girl. However I cannot come up with _any_ strategy without knowing what the situation is."

"Ah, of course," Will started and pulled out a piece of blue paper and began to explain it, "Since the demise of Schwartz, sightings of a longhaired ghost have been reported. Apparently all who have seen her have fallen lifeless. Several guards in Gadoria have been reported as to have had their souls ripped straight from their bodies."

Everyone starred in awe as Shirley fiddled with her dress and spoke up, "We can't just allow this thing to go around hurting people!"

Senel nodded in agreement, "Not after we have worked this hard to bring the world to peace."

Moses slumped over and sighed, "First a group of Ferines wantin' to cause a mass genocide amongst the Orerines, then a Goddess hell-bent on killin' us all, now a _soul reaper?_ Y'all gotta be kiddn me…"

A look of annoyance crossed Jay's face, "Then why don't you stay here with Norma? That will be less dead weight for the rest of us to carry."

Moses scowled, "At least I'm awake for these meetings!"

Will walked over to the two arguing iron erens and bonked them over their heads with his fist. The two crouched to the ground, holding their aching heads as Will continued, "I have also heard reports that this 'soul reaper' resides in the Man-Eating ruins. I think it would be wise for us to start our search there."

"I concur," Jay nodded, "Now, if that is all you need, I would appreciate the time to begin working on a strategy for infiltrating the ruins. It seems getting in their will not be as easy as it usually has." Everyone nodded, but Will put up his hand.

"You have something you must do first," he said to Jay and pointed towards Norma, "Wake up sleeping beauty over there."

Jay scowled, "Why me?" he muttered a few choice words and went over to the couch where Norma lay. He tapped her lightly on the shoulder, "Norma?" he started. Once again, she only responded in her sleep. Jay knelt down beside her and brought his face closer to hers, "Nor-" Jay was interrupted by Norma's lips pressing up against his. As quickly as he noticed it, he pushed her away forcefully, "W-what was that?!"

Norma sat up and stretched, "Oh my dear JJ has come to awaken his princess from her slumber. It is so romantic!" She squealed and fell back down, still awake though.

Jay, wiping his lips from Norma's shocking outburst hissed, "_You_ kissed _ME_!" he then stood up, "If I had the choice, I would rather leave you asleep then ever kiss you!" He stomped out f the house, angry in contrast to his usual calm and collected manner. A twinge of hurt struck Norma in the chest, but she swallowed it away and laughed, "You all know I heard your entire conversation right?"

"N-Norma!" Moses said, with his face slightly red, "Don't just go around kissin' people in front of a group!"

"Gee Red, no need for jealously. I just wanted to have some fun with JJ!" Norma lied, she had actually _waited_ for the opportunity to kiss Jay, it just came sooner and at a bad time, "So, can I come with you guys?" she tried to change the subject, slightly embarrassed by Jay's rejection to her.

Chloe sighed and sat down, "You will have to go convince Jay to include you in the strategy."

"Other than that, we would be fine with your coming with us," Shirley giggled.

"But I can't guarantee Jay will want to speak to you." Senel rolled his eyes, "I can't exactly blame him either…" he added.

"He might take some convincin'," Moses spat into the conversation, "He seemed pretty happy when we decided not to bring you."

Norma laughed, "No worries! I heard the whole conversation! I'm sure I can explain!" she smiled, jumping out of her seat and rushing to the door, slamming it on her way out.

_I heard the WHOLE conversation…_

Finally out of that mental torture chamber, Norma dropped her smile. (_They always treat me like this…_) she looked up at the night sky, (_Like I'm some kind of zoo animal that they can throw peanuts at during their convenience_.) She stopped at the duct, stepping into the orange warp, and warping to the Oresoren village (_But this is my chance to show Jay- er…everyone, that they are wrong! I'm strong too…_) she stepped out the warp and entered the underground town where Jay resided.

The lights were all turned on, illuminating the dirt walls and the talking otters scurrying around the place busily. Atop of the village was the house she recognized as the one the strategist and his three Oresoren friends lived. She took a deep breath, ready to play the I'm-just-a-dumb-treasure-fanatic routine again as she walked up the path to the house.

Upon approaching the house, Norma knocked on the door three times quickly before innocently putting one foot behind the other as Quoppo came to answer the door

Ors? he tilted his head and smiled, "Welcome Norma!" The otter smiled, excited to see one of Jay's friends come to see him.

"Heya Scallop!" Norma cheered and smiled, "Is JJ home yet?"

"He just stepped out for a bit, but you can come in and wait for him." Quoppo smiled, leading Norma into the round child-like room, "Please sit down!" the otter pointed to the ground, which was the only place to sit. Norma plopped down onto the rug and closed her eyes.

"Ok, wake me when he gets here!" Of course Norma had no idea that he wouldn't be back for another hour. This gave her time to have a strange dream…

Norma was standing in a field of crystallized flowers on the night of full moon. A gentle breeze brushed by her as she waited. She didn't know what she was waiting for, but she waited…

Just then she heard the familiar singing of a lost friend. She looked around her for the source of the voice and without thinking; she called out the first name that came to her mind, "G-GIRL!!!"

Sure enough, Grune was sitting a few feet away from her singing to the flowers she was planting. Norma, overjoyed to see her friend again, ran over and embraced Grune, "G-girl!" she cried. "I thought I would never see you again!"

Grune smiled her peaceful Grune smile and spoke, "Norma? Why are you here?"

"W-where?" Norma asked, not caring where she was. She was with the only person who cared about her, Grune, The Weaver of Time.

Grune's expression changed to a sad, slightly doubting expression, "Norma, you should not be here yet. Your time has not come. If you do not go, you will be lost in the darkness forever…"

"I don't care!" Norma shouted, sobbing into Grune's shoulder, "I'm with you now. Everything is going to be ok…I don't need anyone else…no one else understands me…"

Grune returned the embrace, "What about Jay?"

The treasure fanatic sniffed, "He doesn't want me. He doesn't even like me…"

"Norma," Grune sighed, "If you think that in a place like this, you will be lost in your despair forever…"

"I AM lost in my despair back in reality!" she wiped the tears from her eyes and continued, "I know I am in a dream, so I can still wake up-"

"Norma! Run!" Grune yelled suddenly, pushing Norma away from her. Norma looked back at her, confusion written on her face. Then she looked around, sensing a dark presence.

_Do you wish to run from your despair?_ An eerie voice hissed into the air.

Norma turned left

_If you want your happiness I can grant you any wish…_

"Anything?" Norma muttered, looking at Grune who was sitting hopelessly on the ground.

_Come see me in the Man-Eating ruins, there we will discuss your payment and your dreams will be eternal!_

"Norma!" Grune called out, "Don't listen to her! Run!"

Norma shook her head, coming back to Grune's voice. She shook violently and folded her arms across her chest, crying. Who was that? And why were they talking to her? Through her tears she managed to see a bright yellow light in the distance and heard Jay's voice:

_Norma? Norma why did you fall asleep again? Wake up!_

The world around Norma began to disappear as she headed towards where this voice was coming from. She looked behind her as Grune too, disappeared, and a single tear rolled down Norma's face.

Back in reality, Jay was working to wake Norma up, who was in a deep, serious slumber. He had her head on his lap, and he was calling her name. After a few tries, he took a deep breath. This was unlike even Norma, who slept like a log, except this time she was cold. Was she dead? Jay shook the thought from his mind and began to shake the young girl. Finally, the heat returned to Norma's body and she jolted awake, "WHAT THE HELL TO YOU TAKE ME AWAY FROM THERE FOR?" she yelled at the ex-ninja. Jay's eyes widened in shock and he scowled. Norma though, at last realized what she had done, "J-just kidding…" she smiled and blushed. She couldn't tell him about that dream. That would just be too weird for him to hear.

"Why are you here anyway?" Jay asked, slight annoyance in his voice.

Norma looked up at him from her position on his lap and jumped up blushing, "I-I want to come with you guys on this mission!" She cheered, "Count me in!"

Jay hesitated, but shook his head, "Out of the question."

Norma's jaw dropped, "And why not?" she flapped her arms up and down like a bird, "Haven't I always known what to do?"

Jay looked at her and replied simply, "No, no you don't." Then he stood up, the fire from the fireplace in the dimly lit room causing shadows to cross his face, making him look even more cryptic, "Today, you weren't even awake during the entire conversation. No absolutely not! You cannot come with us Norma, so please leave and return to whatever it is that you were doing!"

Norma stood up in fear, tears coming to her eyes, "Alright! Alright! Sheesh!" she turned around and stomped over to the door. But before she left she looked behind her at the strategist, "Would it hurt to be a little less cold to me every once and a while? You could at least not have scared me half to death!" with that she slammed the door shut. Jay looked behind him at the door and sighed, (_Why did it have to go like that?_) he looked at the fire as Pippo came waddling into the room.

"Jay? What's the matter? Why did Norma leave after you yelled at her?"

Jay closed his eyes in anger, "Would you have stayed around after that?"

Pippo, shocked by Jay's response, took a few steps away from him. It was unlike him to get mad the Oresoren. It must be Norma, and Pippo was going to get to the bottom of it, "Jay, Why did you _really_ make her leave?"

Jay looked apologetically at the otter and gestured for him to come over and sit with him, "I have a feeling, if she comes, I won't be able to protect her and something terrible would happen," he sighed, "As much as I hate to admit it, Norma is my friend now. And no matter how stupid she is, she is entitled to her own life. Don't you think?"

"In other words…you're worried about her?"

"…" Jay lay down on the floor and closed his eyes, trying to ignore Pippo's remark and get some rest for the coming day.

Meanwhile, Norma was walking out of the Oresoren village and onto the path way home. (_Stupid JJ!_) She thought to herself, letting off the steam in her mind, (_Doesn't think I can do anything!)_ Then, she stopped and looked at the empty sky. Dawn was about to break through the dark clouds and start a new day. But everyday was the same for Norma's empty heart. She felt where her heart should be and slowly the gentle beats thumped against her hand as the wind whisked itself around her body. (_Is this how loneliness feels? It is how I feel everyday. Is this how JJ feels too?_) She shook her head and walked down the now vacant paths.

_All they want to do is hurt me_

_Never once have they taken me seriously_

_Even though 'family' is supposed to know how you feel_

_Sometimes I feel like_

_They aren't there at all._

Norma sat down on a rock and began to write a letter to Jay. She didn't care if he didn't read it, but it was something she had to get off of her chest, just to write it down. But she didn't want it to be straightforward, so she wrote a poem. She smiled to herself and giggled slightly, not wanting to lose herself in her mood. She smirked, "I'll bet this will take that little smarty-pants YEARS to figure out…"

So she sat there and wrote the words to the poem, "Day of the Beginning":

_The cold air gently wraps itself around my body_

_Soon the faraway sky will start to grow light_

_Every day, in the mornings when no one's there, I stand in the street_

_I try breathing deeply for a bit_

_The empty sky resembles me greatly_

_Why does the night make people lonely?_

_Nobody understands_

_Lost, I don't have a destination today either_

_But still, I start moving down the street_

_Leaving myself behind_

_That time, were you also lonely?_

_Thinking of my small self, I can't sleep today either_

_If we could at least meet in dreams..._

_Nobody will grant my wish_

_I don't even know how to tell you_

_I'm stopping today too_

_Nobody understands_

_Lost, I don't have a destination today either_

_Nobody will make my dreams come true_

_I can't even walk_

_But still, I start to move through the morning_

_Dawn is breaking_

She looked somewhat pleased with her word as she sealed it into an envelope. (_I won't sign it._) She decided and let the letter lose in the wind. (_Hopefully, it gets to him_.)

_Because there is something I must do…_

CHAPTER 1 COMPLETE! I HOPE EVERYONE LIKED IT! I'LL UDPATE SOON!

THE POEM NORMA WROTE IS ACTUALLY THE SONG "HAJIMARU NO HI" FROM D N ANGEL


	2. Perfect Enemy

**Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of Legendia**

_**Chasing Despair: Will you Grant my Wish?**_

_**Perfect Enemy**_

"So where do I go now?" Norma sighed as she plopped back down onto the rock which she sat after leaving the Oresoren village, "I sent the letter, so now where to?" The sun was rising over the hills and she was tired, after having no sleep the night before. The treasure-fanatic yawned and stretched out her arms. Having not the faintest clue as to where to go, she set off down the long path back to Werites Beacon.

On her way back, the feeling that she needed to be somewhere kept poking at her, but she didn't know where. Then she remembered her dream:

_Come see me in the Man-Eating ruins, there we will discuss your payment, and your dreams will be eternal…_

"Ah!" Norma stopped. She remembered where she was going, to the Man-Eating ruins, where that voice had told her to go, "Any wish?" Norma said, thinking of the wishes she wanted to have come true, "I could wish JJ would love me," she shook her head, "Nah, even with magic he doesn't feel that way…" her voice trailed off. That's when she remembered all the things that everyone had said about her. Every last terrible word that each of her 'friends' had spewed about her, as if she were too dumb to notice. Well she did notice, and there was one person who had always been there for her, Grune. But she was gone now, if there were anything that could bring her back, Norma would do it. There was nothing else for her in the world anyway. Nothing else could make her false smile as real as she wanted it to be. Nothing but Grune's revival. Norma knew what she wanted, as she dashed off in the direction of the Man-Eating ruins.

"Jay!" Poppo, jumped up and down by the boy who was asleep by the dying fire, "It's time to wake up! You're supposed to be at Werites Beacon in an hour!"

Jay slowly opened his eyes, tired from a late night and the restless sleep that followed. In his disoriented state, he asked, "Is Norma still here?"

"Ors?" Poppo tilted his head, "Jay, she left a long time ago. Remember, Ors?"

Jay shook his head and headed for his bedroom, "Forget that. I'll be ready in a few minutes."

Poppo nodded and headed off to his workshop after saying goodbye to Quoppo and Pippo.

Meanwhile, Jay was changing his clothes in his room when he accidentally knocked over a box of old information requests. He put his purple jacket on the ground and went to pick up the scattered envelopes, "I knew I should have found a safer place for these when I was cleaning…" he muttered as he placed them back into their box. There was one yellow envelope on the ground though, that caught his eye. The return address on it was from an academy on the mainland about five years back, when Jay was first getting into the business of dealing information. It was strange, since no one on the mainland knew about him, except this one person who had sent him the letter. He opened the envelope and pulled out the small piece of pink stationary with the small message on it:

_Dear Jay the Unseen,_

_I know you don't know me. I'm from the mainland, so you probably haven't seen me on the legacy either. I heard about you from a friend who lived on the legacy and she said you knew everything and that you were the one who helped her escape the captivity she was in and told her how to get to the mainland. I wanted to say, thank you. If it hadn't been for you, I would have never met her. I admire you soooo much because you are sooooo smart and can tell anyone about anything. Well, I have a small favor I'd like to ask you. If you don't want to do it, then its ok, but I trust you (I know, I know, I don't even know you) but I just feel like I can trust you already. Well here is my request; can you tell me why my parents don't care about me? That's all I want to know. Well, it would be really cool if I could meet you someday, so when that day comes, that's when I want my answer!_

The name at the bottom was worn away, maybe because Jay had never pursued her request. But, instead of putting the letter with the rest of them, he put the letter in his jacket pocket once he had put it on. (_I don't remember why I didn't pursue this request, but for some reason, I can't seem to just leave it alone now.)_ He thought as he headed out of his room, off to Werites Beacon.

Once he entered Will's house, it seemed everyone had been waiting for him. Senel was flicking paper bits across the table to Moses, who flicked them back. Shirley and Chloe were chatting in the kitchen, while Will seemed to be waiting for Jay.

"Sorry, for being late," Jay started as everyone looked at him in unison. Shirley walked over to the information dealer looked around behind him as if still looking for someone. Then she looked at him with her cascade blue eyes, "Where is Norma?" she asked nervously.

Jay looked slightly confused. Something was off. Norma, if in her usual mind, was turned away from a mission she would have gone straight to the others to complain. But she wasn't even here to try to further push the issue. Did he really scare her last night? Instead, he just shrugged, "Norma isn't coming. I told her last night."

Chloe got a somewhat surprised look on her face, "Why did you not allow her to come?"

Senel got up and stood next to Shirley, "Yeah Jay, why not?"

Jay shook his head and replied sternly, "If Norma will not even bother to participate in any of our discussions then I see no point in taking her along."

"But, Jay," Shirley started, a little upset that Norma wasn't coming, "Norma has always come with us-"

"Shirley," Senel interrupted, "I'm sure Jay has his reasons for not wanting to bring her along."

Moses, who had been sitting on the couch, finally got up to join the others, "I think we'd best be on our way now!" He smiled, "Norma will still be here when we get back. Then we can talk some sense into her."

Jay nodded, "She needs to be a little less self-centered," he looked at the ground and shook his head, "But for now, we should go to the Man-Eating ruins."

Everyone nodded and headed out of the door. As Chloe began to take a step out, Shirley tapped her on the shoulder, "Chloe?" she asked.

Chloe turned to face the Merines, who looked uncertain and full of doubt, "Shirley, is something wrong?"

Shirley tilted her head to the side and sighed, "I just feel like something bad is going to happen."

"Are you worried about Norma?"

Shirley nodded, "She didn't return to her room at the inn last night."

Chloe's eyes widened, "S-she didn't?"

Shirley just shook her head, "I went to the inn this morning and the innkeeper said she hadn't come back."

Chloe put her reassuring hand on Shirley's shoulder, "Then we must keep an eye out. I promise, everything will be ok…"

_But Chloe sounded unsure…_

Norma entered the back of the Man-Eating ruins where she sought out the mysterious voice. The room was hollow and deserted, just like it always was. But this time, a grim feeling loomed in the air and made a shiver run down her spine. Norma folded her arms across her chest and took a deep breath, inhaling the deadly air. She sniffed the air and stepped back. A repulsive smell of rot and decay wafted through the air. That smell wasn't there before. The treasure hunter opened her mouth about to say something, but she was stopped by another voice.

_Norma Beatty, so pleased to make your acquaintance_

Norma gasped and spun around, as if about to run

_Please don't run_

A black mist grabbed Norma as the figure took on a physical form. She was a girl with floor length, shapeless black hair that veiled her face. Her figure was bone thin and as white as Jay and she wore a black dress, "You have come so far. Please sit down," she shoved Norma to the ground, "Now tell me, what is it you wish for?"

Norma shook violently throughout her body. She wanted to run, no longer be a part of this demonic plan, "I-I don't want anything…"

The woman stepped over to Norma and lightly traced her face with her fingernail, cutting open the skin slightly, "But you must make one. You are the one promised to me."

Norma quavered, trying to back away from her, but the figure would not allow her to escape, by sending two vines to tie up Norma. Norma sobbed silently in her vulnerability, "Who promised me to you?"

The woman once again stepped over to Norma and hissed, "The world has sacrificed you to me. Your mother and father sold you to me to pay back a debt the owed," she chuckled venomously under her breath, "Your friends say that you are a burden. They have sold you to me with their words of hate."

"They sold me…with hate?" Norma mumbled under her slow breaths, "W-why would they do that?" Tears still steamed from her face as she thought of the betrayal she faced.

"They have hurt you, haven't they?" the woman whispered, "They never listened to your problems. They ignored you!" Her voice rose in anger, "No matter how many times you have tried to reach out to them, they slap you away! They take nothing about you seriously! No matter how many tears you shed alone-" she stopped and silence filled the room, then she scowled and started again, "No matter how many times you have asked for…oh what was his name again?" she held out her palm and a small bell appeared on it.

Norma's eyes widened, "That's Jay's bell!"

The woman smirked, "Jay? Ah, so that is his name. Such a vicious man to do the things he does to you. The way he hurts you, the way he makes you suffer for him, then turns around and abandons you. No matter how many times in your life you have counted on him, he has never come through for you. Yet look how you love him, with all your heart. You trusted him before you knew him. And yet he has become a part of your meaningless existence. Yet he has sold you to me!" she punched the wall above Norma's head, "I know what you need Norma. I know how to bring back Grune."

Norma's eyes widened, tears falling like rivers down her face. Everything this woman said sounded so…real…as if she were strumming reality with her skeleton fingers, as if she knew Norma inside and out. And now she could bring back Grune? Norma was already sold to this woman, but she could have Grune back. Norma sighed as the life drained from her eyes, "What do I have to do?"

The woman smirked victoriously, "Kill them…I want them all dead. The world is evil and must be annihilated. Even if in the end, we too must be gone, this is the prophecy given to me. We have been sold to despair by the world and now, we seek revenge." She untied Norma from the vines and held out her hand, "Do we have a deal? I give you Grune; you become the new Sovereign of Calamity."

"Sovereign…of…Calamity?" Norma whispered. Suddenly she felt empty,

"You must join me either way," the woman said, "You belong to me now. Either you join me, or I take your life. The choice is yours."

Norma hesitated and sighed. But anger filled her body and out of the rage inside of her she took the woman's hand, "I-I'll do it…" she whispered. The woman laughed, and then Norma began to glow a black aura and with that, all emotion was washed from her heart. All the love, replaced with hate. All the happiness replaced by anger. All the Serenity vanished beneath apathy. The color drained from Norma's eyes and a cryptic tattoo ran up the right side of her body, from her toe to her face. Finally, the yellow pompom fell from her hair and her yellow attire turned into a tight black dress with a long black cape. Her brunette locks faded into a raven black that fell to her hips. She no longer looked like Norma, but like a monster straight out of the darkness.

"Perfect," the woman sighed, "And now I shall grant your wish." With that, she snapped her fingers, making Grune fall out of a cocoon of vines onto the ground.

Grune stirred a little bit as she tried to sit up, but in weakness, she fell back to the ground and fell asleep. Norma rushed over to Grune's side and sat beside her. She took Grune's fair hand into her own and sighed, "It is ok now Grune, I am here. We will be ok." Then she created a large crystal fissure around her friend and headed out of the ruins to meet Senel's group.

"Jay, are we almost there?" Moses complained as the group tried to make their way to the depths of the ruins. They had been going around and around in circles for the last two hours and no one knew where they were.

"This is strange," Jay muttered, ignoring Moses, "We have been here at least two times but for some reason these ruins seemed to have altered."

"I see," Will nodded, "That would explain the peculiar strength the monsters possess."

Senel looked over at the two trying to figure out where to go, "We should probably just keep going, we will have to find it eventually."

Chloe turned around to Shirley who was shivering, "Shirley?" she started. Everyone turned to see Shirley almost in a state panic, "Shirley?" she continued.

Senel rushed over to the Merines and put his hands on her shoulder, "Shirley! What's wrong?" Shirley jolted her head up to face Senel. She pointed a weak finger at the entrance to the next room. Everyone's eyes followed Shirley's finger to where she pointed to a figure standing by the doorway to the next room. The figure had long black hair and a tattoo up her right side. She looked to be about sixteen or so. Jay stepped closer to her out of curiosity and asked, "Who are you?"

The girl turned her head to face him, shadows covered her eyes and she moved her mouth, uttering the words, "….die…."

The party drew their weapons preparing to fight. The girl also drew her weapon, a fighting straw which she used to begin casting magic spells. Jay stopped and looked at the girl's technique and gasped. The others must have noticed too, because they had all lowered their weapons. Jay took his dagger and pointed it at the girl. _(It can't be…)_ he thought to himself, _(Could it?)_

His suspicions were confirmed when another girl stepped out of the doorway. Everyone gasped as Grune entered the room and stood next to the girl. The girl looked up at Grune and threw her arms around her, "Grune…I am glad you are awake! You are my only friend and you always will be…"

Jay's eyes widened and his dagger clashed to the ground. He took two steps away from the two standing in front of him as his jaw dropped open. Everyone starred blankly too and Jay uttered the name he wished would never define his enemy, "N-Norma?"

**Me: Hah! Cliffhanger!**


	3. Evil unmasked

_**Disclaimer: **_I don't own Tales of Legendia…again

_**Chasing Despair: Will you Grant my Wish**_

_**Evil unmasked**_

_RECAP: Jay's eyes widened and his dagger clashed to the ground. He took two steps away from the two standing in front of him as his jaw dropped open. Everyone starred blankly too and Jay uttered the name he wished would never define his enemy, "N-Norma?"_

The girl turned her head to face Jay, who had just called out her name. She narrowed her eyebrows and muttered in a deep monotone, "I am sorry…but Norma Beatty is no longer a part of me…I am the Sovereign of Calamity, the envoy of eternal darkness." She began to wave her straw though the air in slow, deadly motions, "and now, you must die…" and with one final swish of her arms she called, "Dark Mirror!" Four mirrors surrounded the party, with the exception of Jay, who stood, starring dumbfounded at Norma. He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth in anger.

"You IDIOT!" he bellowed at Norma and stomped his foot on the ground, "What do you think you are doing!" But Norma seemed to not hear a word of what he was saying and continued to cast magic. Just as Jay was about to attack Norma he was stopped by a gentle hand on his shoulder. He jarred slightly at the touch but turned around to face Grune, who had her hand on his shoulder.

"You know this isn't like Norma, right?" She asked quietly so Norma couldn't hear. But despite her efforts, Norma turned to face Jay and Grune. Her tattoo began to glow and she scowled, closing in the mirrors that surrounded the party. The mirrors shattered, shards flying from every direction, causing Senel and the others to take severe damage. Shirley even collapsed to the ground. Norma sneered in pleasure at what she had just done and once again, Jay attempted to attack her, and once again he was stopped by Grune. Jay sighed in exasperation, but didn't force Grune away. Instead, he watched as Will rushed over to Shirley in an attempt to cure her.

But Norma would not let that happen and she casted a familiar spell, "TRACTOR BEAM!" the spring of light flew up from the ground and threw Will into the air. He hit the ground again with a loud thud as he twitched slightly, trying hard to get up.

Senel looked at his comrades on the ground and glared over a Norma with a hint of confusion, "Norma, this isn't funny!" he lowered his already angry glare into a scowl, "Stop being an idiot and come back!" Norma's face grew even more twisted and angry with Senel's words and stepped down from atop the steps, followed by Grune. Jay glanced at them and ran down the steps, standing next to Senel. Chloe, Moses and a very weak Will, joined them. Norma surveyed the group before speaking.

"Don't _ever_ tell me what to do!" She hissed, as the room began to shake, "People like _you _have no right to speak to me."

Jay shrunk back and thought to himself _(That did not sound at all like something Norma would say…what exactly is going on here?) _He decided that Norma would answer that question right now as he opened his mouth, his voice shaking slightly, "Norma, what is your reason for this? For attacking your companions and injuring Shirley." He tried to keep his composure and look Norma straight in the eye but he couldn't. For some reason he felt…guilty, almost as if he already knew what Norma was going to say next. At the same time, he felt vulnerable to her. As if suddenly, after all these years, he felt weak.

Norma clenched her fists and the tattoo on her skin began to glow again, "How dare you call yourselves my comrades!" she stomped her foot on the ground and punched a nearby pillar, causing it to crack, "After everything you have done to me? You _honestly _think you are my friends?"

Jay stepped forward, "Norma-" he was interrupted by another burst of anger from the morose Norma standing in front of him, "Don't try to reason with me. All you ever do is chastise and scorn me! I may be childish but I am NOT stupid! I hear all…I know all." She formed a dark sphere in the palm of her hand and focused her mana into it to make it grow bigger.

_Yes, fill your heart with resentment_

_Feed your hatred with the power of darkness…_

Norma smirked angrily as shadows coated her face, "Now, I have no time for your sorry explanations!"

"Norma!" the group called out in unison. Jay took a few steps back and looked up at Norma with worry in his luminous violet eyes.

"Norma, we didn't mean any of it like that!"

"Sh-shut up!" the dark sphere grew bigger as Norma turned her head away from the others.

Jay held his position, unfazed by Norma's words. _(Now is not the time to be weak…) _he took one step forward and continued, "Are you going to let a few stupid mistakes we have made destroy everything else we have done together?"

Chloe joined him, "Do not forget everything we have accomplished, none of it could have been done without every member of our group being there."

"We would not have succeeded without any contribution you made," Jay added, feeling a strange sensation build up inside his chest. Why would he feel this way now? His body trembled slightly, but not enough for the others to see as they looked hopefully at Norma.

Norma staggered, clutching her dress. Slowly a white light enveloped her body and she whispered, "Really?"

"Yes," Will started, "Do not give in Norma!"

_Do they really care?_

_Are they really worried?_

_I'm I making a mistake by doing this?_

_Should I go back?_

_Should I trust them?_

_I'm so confused!!_

"NO!" A voice interrupted Norma's thoughts. Everyone else heard it too, because they looked around for the source of the voice, "Do not forget the pain Norma! The anguish, the suffering, the betrayal. You have been sold to me by their lack of caring! They are lying to you again! Do you really think that friends would allow you to fall this deep into despair? Wouldn't they see how you really feel?" Everyone turned to face the demon that turned Norma into the villain in front of them, "I am Desari, Ruler of the supreme darkness." She said more to Jay and the others than to Norma.

The light surrounding Norma fell as quickly as it came and her eyes faded back into the blank stare they were in. her obsidian hair fell back down to her hips and she looked to the ground, "Lady Dasari is right…" The dark sphere continued to grow once more.

Desari smirked triumphantly, "You are right Norma. This is your chance to kill them now!"

"Norma-" Jay started again but Norma was no longer listening. She lifted up the dark sphere and slammed it into the ground. But just as she did so, Grune came and interfered, putting up a large shield and protecting the party from damage.

"We need to get out of here!" Grune said as everyone disappeared from the Man-Eating ruins, leaving Norma and Desari alone.

"Ugh…" Norma moaned and shrunk down onto one knee, "I almost had them…"

Desari ignored Norma's complaint and looked in the direction of the exit, "It appears Grune too, is a traitor."

Norma gasped slightly and looked up, "Why?"

Desari shook her head in annoyance, "Did you not see her help the others?"

She was right, Grune had helped Jay and the others escape. Did that mean Grune was her enemy? Maybe the pain was worth it to be with them…Norma shook the idea from her head. Nothing was worth the suffering and sadness she felt around them, "Grune is my enemy now…" she whispered slightly hesitantly. Desari chuckled as if glad to see Norma suffering more. Norma was completely under Desari's control, "…" Norma looked blankly at the exit and shivered (_Even though I am no longer part of their group, Jay didn't even seem to really want me back. I think in my heart, I kept hoping he would rescue me…but that is long gone. He didn't care, not at all. None of them did. They treated me like another monster.) _A single tear fell from Norma's eyes.

"It's raining…" Jay complained inaudibly as a single drop of rain fell into the palm of his hand. He looked up at the sky as grey clouds formed over the sky, causing a melancholy overcast to spread for miles and miles. The young ninja clenched his fist where the raindrop had fallen, and almost as if the sky were angry at him for his actions back in the ruins, thousands of raindrops fell. The party sighed at the sudden yet inevitable change in the weather. Moses wiped some of the rain from his brow and turned to face Jay, who was lagging solemnly behind the party. The bandit frowned sympathetically at the troubled look on his friends face and walked back to Jay. The strategist glanced upwardly at Moses, trying to mask his sadness with a look of annoyance, but to no avail. Moses wasn't so stupid as to believe that something wasn't bothering his friend and after a few moments of silence, he broke the ice.

"Jay, you been mighty quiet back here. Wanna tell your bro what's wrong?" Moses asked, not that 'what's wrong?' was the appropriate question to ask, since him and everyone else _knew_ what was wrong already, or at least knew it had something to do with Norma.

Jay narrowed his eyes lividly, "No, I don't," he hissed and picked up his sluggish pace to catch up with Senel and Grune at the front of the party. Moses slumped over in defeat as Jay began a conversation with Grune at the head of their little formation.

Finally, the group returned to Will's residence where Senel Harriet brought Shirley up to the bed in Harriet's room to rest. Chloe wrung her hair out over the sink and Moses sat down on the sofa, still slumped over and deep in thought. Will brought out the files he had from before and began to study them. Jay stood by watching the fog cover the window, shadowing out his view of the town. All that he could see were the misty lights from the closing shops and the other homes of Werites Beacon. The loud footsteps of Senel came clumping downs the stairs, followed by Harriet's dainty ones. The Alliance Marine paused and looked over at Jay solemnly. Harriet walked over to the window where Jay stood and placed her hand on his shoulder, "Jay," she started, sounding more serious then the usual loud and controlling Harriet, "You won't solve anything by standing there waiting."

Jay blinked, but didn't budge.

"Ya'know, she's right," Moses added in, attempting to once again, calm this brewing storm by taking some responsibility, "Ya'need to come talk to us and tell us everything you remember about your meeting with Bubbles last night."

Jay averted his gaze over to Moses, unwilling to snap back at him with some stinging remark. He just raised an eyebrow. Senel mimicked Jay's movement of rolling his eyes and questioned Moses, "Why is that important?"

"Ah!" Grune jumped into the conversation, "I see the logic behind Moses' thinking."

"Well then, tell us!" Chloe sighed in slight exasperation.

"Jay was the last one of us to see Norma." Moses started, before Grune cut him off.

"If there were any strange remarks from Norma, he would have definitely heard them."

"But Jay doesn't seem to want to be of any help," Will replied, lowering the files he was reading, attempting to rouse Jay into talking, but Jay just starred out the window.

In Jay's mind, he could hear their voices trying to make him speak, but he almost couldn't understand them. Their voices were drowned out and whirred in his head like a broken record. He had his own thoughts to sort out. _(How come even though I try, I am unable to protect anyone?)_ He thought reflectively, tapping his fingers on the windowsill, _(The reason I wouldn't take Norma on the investigation was because I THOUGHT I was putting her in danger.)_ He stopped, _(But it was because I wouldn't trust her that she got hurt.) _Jay began to feel the burden of the blame weighing a million tons on his shoulders. Was this his fault? Finally Jay felt the need to speak up, "She was asleep when I came home."

The group stopped whatever they were debating and turned their attention to the strategist like they used to when he dealt information. This time though, the information he dealt would affect him too, "When I tried to shake her awake, she remained in her dream world like always." He paused, as if recalling that moment, "She looked as peaceful as she ever had, just like Norma always did." Now Will was taking a seat to absorb the rest of the story, "Then I shook her awake again, now thinking she could be in a coma or dead. This time she awoke with a jolt and yelled-"

Moses' eyes widened, "Well that's what we all wanted to hear! What exactly did she say to ya?"

"She said…" He remembered the look of anger and anguish in Norma's brown eyes lit by the fire. He had never seen that kind of an expression on her face before then, "WHY DID YOU TAKE ME AWAY FROM THERE?!" He tried to imitate the tone of her voice as she had screamed those words, but his voice shook so violently that he just sounded pathetic.

Senel took a step back, "Do you think…?"

Will pushed his glasses up further onto his nose, "Perhaps…"

Chloe folded her arms across her chest, "Then Norma may have been…"

Moses sat down and put his knuckle to his chin as if for once in thought, "Then that may explain…"

"Nothing," Jay concluded, "But it gives us a place to start thinking."

Norma stepped outside of the Man-Eating ruins for the first time that day. When she reached the outside she was almost surprised to see the sky so dark so early. The rain had lightened up, but the ground was wet with the small droplets of rain, hanging from the grass like liquidized crystals. She sat down in the dampness and hugged her legs to her chest and closed her eyes, things had only just begun…


	4. Shadow's of You

Chasing Despair: Will you Grant my Wish?

Shadow's of you

"Surrender your souls unto me!" Norma hissed at two women who were hanging clothes out to dry in Werites Beacon. She held out her right hand and glared at them. The two women attempted to stand up, but fear pinned them to the ground, like they were caught in a web and Norma was the vicious spider out to get them. Their eyes trembled helplessly in fear and defeat, as they awaited the fate that had befallen so many. At the sight of the two, Norma laughed malevolently. Her eyes began to glow purple and she clenched her right hand, extracting the souls of the two women, who fell lifelessly to the ground. Norma turned around to return to the Man Eating ruins, "That makes 53 today," she chuckled venomously.

"Everyone," Will Raynard started as the group gathered around his table in their usual spots, "I have received some…disturbing reports…"

Everyone looked at Will fearfully, "What is it Will?" Shirley asked, slight quavering in her immature voice, "Did something happen?"

Will sighed and took out another batch of files. He set the manila folder on the table and took a few steps back, causing the group to lean forward in anticipation, "It appears Norma has gotten out of control…"

Moses stepped forward and opened the files. He gasped in horror after reading the contents of the papers, "53 SOULS IN ONE DAY?"

Jay, looking up trying to keep calm, snatched the folder from Moses, "Norma…" he muttered the name and traced the words on the scripts with his finger, "Is she collecting souls…because she is mad at us?" he threw the files to the ground and stomped his foot on them, "And how do you know these are true stories?" He exclaimed, searching for answers in Will's eyes. But Will merely shook his head.

"Jay calm down and think this through." He started, "Who else do we know who has this description?"

Jay looked down shamefully.

Senel, wanting to move on from the erupting argument, gathered the papers from beneath Jay's foot, "And even if it is?" He looked into the eyes of the group members and could read what they were all thinking. It was just like when Shirley became the Merines. When that was the case, Jay had been fully willing to kill Shirley. Would this mean he would be willing to perform the same task with Norma? Senel didn't want to think about that now. Something told him a certain other member of the group was more worried about the fate of Beatty than he.

Will paused fro a second, trying to regain the undivided attention of the group. Once everyone's eyes had returned to him he stated his view, "If Norma is causing this much trouble for the world…" He paused; taking in the shocked looks of his comrades and began again, "We cannot sacrifice thousands of lives for the sake of one. Even if Norma is our friend-"

"NOW HOLD UP!" Moses yelled, slamming his fist onto the table, causing the contents of it to shake violently and fall to the ground, "Why are we givin' up on Norma so fast?"

Will held up his hand in an attempt to calm down the raging beast tamer. But after Moses calmed down, none other than Jay the Unseen himself spoke up in protest, "Why are we giving up so easily? As much of a pest as Norma has been, and probably always be…" he stopped, feeling a slight blush rise into his cheeks as the rest of the group starred at him in awe. He cleared his throat and opened his mouth again, only to be interrupted by Grune.

"I am sure Jay could come up with some plan to attempt to bring Norma to her senses. We shall not call this over, until there is no hope left."

Will nodded, "I see. I must say, killing a friend like Norma is not what I want to do, so I will give Jay one night to come up with a plan to turn things around…But just one night. Understand?"

"Understood." Jay said briskly. He couldn't tell, but everyone else sensed a flicker of a smile cross the ex-ninja's face as he exited the room to return to the Oresoren village. There was still hope…

Norma kneeled before a large crystal tree in a secret room of the Man-Eating ruins, holding out her hand to release the souls she had collected that day. With a devious smirk plastered on her face, she muttered, "Desari shall be pleased with my work today. This makes us one step closer to our goal of 500 souls."

_Excellent, you have collected 53 souls in one day._

Desari materialized in front of Norma with her arms folded across her chest. She took a step closer to the crystal tree and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath, "Once our goal is reached, we shall purge the world of these wretched beings."

Norma traced a finger down the glassy bark of the tree and pressed her other hand to her heart, "All we do is hurt each other. We have no consideration for anyone but ourselves. People will hurt people forever…and cry only when it comes back on them."

Desari smirked sourly and placed her hand on her hip. Norma was everything she had wanted in a puppet. She was her _only _option…since the true Sovereign of Calamity had been killed…

_"Mommy?" A little girl in a white nightshirt called as she walked down the large corridors of her mansion. She clutched a small stuffed rabbit in her hand and continued to look through the doors for her mother and father. The yellow pompom in her hair swayed back and forth as she became frantic, looking for her mother. Finally she reached the foyer._

_The small girl gasped and took a step back, tears brimmed her eyes. There in the foyer in a thick haze of fog from the opened doors, lay her mother, father and sister._

_It was a day Norma Beatty would never forget…_

Desari let out a small chuckle at the remembrance of that day. It was the day Desari had been able to set up the current state of the Sovereign of Calamity.

Norma winced, as if remembering that day too, only with a different reaction. That was the worst day of Norma's life. She removed her finger from the tree, "I'll never forgive them…" she whispered through tears she was trying to hold back.

A presence filled the room and Desari shot a deathly glare towards the entrance to the room they were in, "They are here." She hissed and disappeared in a light mist. Norma glanced over at the entrance, knowing who Desari was talking about. Jay was there, and so were the others. And sure as night is dark, Jay stepped into the room, followed by Senel, Chloe, Shirley, Moses, Will, and…Grune.

Norma drew her straw and scowled, "I didn't think you would just leave forever, perhaps I can arrange conditions forcing you to be gone!" Her fingernails began to glow black and she hissed, "Maelstrom!"

The vicious attack hurled the group into a nearby wall and the groaned in immediate pain. Norma was unlike any enemy they have faced yet. She was dark, she was evil, she was spiteful, and she was…their friend. Jay pulled himself from the wall and struggled to stand up. The others clutched the wall and followed the purple clad ninja. Upon reaching a few feet from Norma, Jay noticed the tree behind her.

"Norma, what is that?" He said, sounding uncertain about the strange trees ability.

Norma smirked evilly and walked over to the tree, placing her palm on the bark. She leaned her ear against it and smiled, "Do you hear it?" she muttered.

Jay raised an eyebrow and shook his head, "Hear what?"

Shirley, who was making her way closer to the tree, closed her eyes, trying to figure out the sound.

Norma, looking at their strain to hear whatever she was hearing, laughed, "Their cries…The cries of 253 souls, locked away in this tree, waiting to be released as the power to destroy the world they have tainted."

"You're sick." Jay growled venomously.

Chloe breathed in deeply, hand over her heart, "So many lives, ripped from their bodies, all for the sake of destruction."

"Why?" Shirley cried, falling to the floor, "Why…"

Norma clenched her teeth, "Shut up you stupid Merines. Was it not you who was going to purge the world of humanity, so that you and your mermaid friends could live in the water?"

"Well…"

"The do not speak as though you are justified. I plan to destroy all, Orerines and Ferines alike, because we are all insincere liars who are bent on the suffering of others. I am going to see to it that these souls are used only for what they are good at…destruction."  
"Now that just aint right!" Moses yelled, making Norma burst out into an angry laughter.

"This is what you wanted." Norma's expression turned serious, "You wanted me to do this. That is why you sold me to Desari!" Rocks flew up from the ground as Norma's eyes glow ominously, "You and my parents wanted this! That's why you kicked me to the ground and laughed all the time!"

"Norma, you are being ridiculous," Jay snapped, "This is just a selfish illusion you have built for yourself! When were ever _so bad_ that you would cause global destruction?"

"You were all just like my parents. People who wanted my aid, then stabbed me in the back at their convenience. I tried…it tried to help all of you in your times of need, but when I was clearly suffering, you gave me five seconds of consoling before pretending all was well." She clenched her fists, "When Shirley was the Merines…I tried so hard not be angry at her. We all tried so hard to protect her even though she was our ENEMY!" She looked at everyone's expressions.

"I'm sor-" Shirley began to whisper, but the furious Norma would not hear it.

"SHUT UP!" Norma yelled, continuing her story, "Moses, we all thought Giet was a killer, but we stuck by you until you could prove his innocence." She looked at Chloe, "And you, you worthless wannabe knight, who cheered you on all the time no matter what the problem, whether it be with Senel or with Alcott?" Lastly she looked at the ninja boy and felt her heart sink and her voice lower. Suddenly her stomach tugged with pain, "And Jay," she started.

Jay looked at Norma directly in the eyes, waiting to hear her. Waiting to listen to her.

"I always tried for you. You are a selfish anti-social brat. You hate and think you are better than all of us. Well you're not. I always praised you and the things you did, I was your silent cheerleader…I cared for you like I had cared for no one before. When we fought Solon, I was ready to die to save you. When you betrayed us, I kept telling myself you were going to come back. I believed in you. That's why I never doubted you." She knelt on the ground in embarrassment, "You guys were my world…and I wasn't even a person in that world as far as you were concerned…Then Desari said you had sold me to her with your words like gald. I had no choice but to join her, I hate you all for it." A single tear fell to the ground and Norma quickly wiped her eyes, hiding her face.

Jay stepped forward and hovered above Norma, speechless. For the first time, he could not find the right words. He just looked at her without emotion. His heart thumped against his chest and his stomach felt as though a boulder was weighing it down.

Norma felt his presence and chuckled like a maniac, "Heh, if you long for the safety of you precious world then kill me. If you don't, then I will fulfill my mission."

The group looked at each other and Jay looked at Norma, "No," he replied simply, "If I kill you, I will have failed my mission, so I'll leave you in your state of hysteria."

Will sighed of both disappointment and relief. What was there to do now? Was there any hope for Norma? Had they lost a friend?

Grune smiled gently, glad that Jay wasn't giving up. She knew more than the others about that ninjas feelings. She knew he could never kill someone all close to his heart as Norma.

"Norma please," Senel started, "We never meant the thing we said to be like that-"

"THEN WHY DID YOU KEEP SAYING THEM!" She stood up, anger flared in her eyes.

"We didn't think-" Moses added in.

"Wow, you always seem to be thinking, EXCEPT when you speak to me. What am I? A dog? Don't even try to give me those excuses."

"If you felt this way, you should have told us," Jay glared over his shoulder at Norma, "You were just like any one of us. In flaws, and in importance. We would have listened, but you never acted like you were hurt."

"Yeah, If it aint broke, don't fix it!" Moses laughed slightly, trying to spark a smile from Norma.

Norma returned the attempt with an empty stare, "No…" She muttered. Her eyes returned to their usual bright brown and she looked at the people in front of her, "Just say something?" she muttered. Jay took a step towards her, with his hands firmly planted in his pockets.

"That's what most people do." He sighed.

"Does this mean, that I am to blame for my suffering JJ?" she sniffled and looked at her friend who shook his head slowly and held out his hand to her. Norma smiled slightly and reached out her hand to his. For that brief second, their hands had met. A sudden spark rushed to Jay's heart which beat against his chest rapidly.

The rest of the group smiled, "Is it over?" Shirley smiled, looking hopefully at Senel.

"I hope so," he replied, "It seems both of them are happy."

Grune though, frowned, "It's not over. Desari is near, she won't allow things to end this quickly."

Everyone turned to face Grune who pointed to where Desari entered the room.

"Noma, you can't really plan on going back to them? They're just apologizing to save their world."

"Desari…" Norma muttered, not knowing which the truth was. Slowly she slipped her hand out of Jay's and turned back to Desari, "What do you mean?"

"If they had just been kidding, would their words have registered as powerfully as they had? If I were you, I would say it's too late. They're "kidding around" has given you this cruel fate."

Norma looked at Jay and back at Desari.

"Don't forget, you will die if you don't choose me!" Desari pulled a dagger from her thin air, slicing Norma's arm.

"AHHH!" Norma shrieked, clutching her arm. Her eyes returned to the glassy black they had become and she glared daggers at Jay and the others, "Why didn't anyone try to stop her!" Norma hissed as both her and Desari turned into back mist and disappeared from the room.

Jay clenched his fists, cursing under his breath. The room was suddenly barren in his eyes. Norma's reaction was clearly the answer had in mind. She was going to stay with Desari. But why had she left so quickly? Was it to prevent herself from turning back, "Why couldn't we have stopped her this time?"

A few hours passed and the group returned to Werites Beacon and silently went their separate ways. Jay the Unseen walked over to the duct and returned to the Oresoren Village to think, something he does very well.

Upon reaching his home, Jay was greeted by the three little Oresoren, Pippo, Quoppo, and Poppo who anxiously attempted to follow him to his room. But without a word, the ninja slammed the door shut before they could enter.

"What am I going to do now?" Jay muttered as he slumped to the ground. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the mysterious information request. He traced his finger along the sides of the envelope, as if something about it may bring help him in his current time. For some reason every time he looked at the envelope, he thought of the yellow clad treasure hunter, always known as Norma, "Norma…" he sighed, smiling inwardly at the sound of her name.

_(I always tried for you!)_

She had struggled to say the words. The words that proved his life had meaning, or she tried to give it one.

_(I cared for you like I've never cared for no one in my entire life!)_

He remembered the kiss he had received from Norma a while back. There was more to it then just Norma being…Norma. It was as if she was trying to tell him all along, that she cared about him. No matter what she said. No matter how hard she tried or how supporting she was…he never noticed. He never took time from his life to notice hers. Apparently no one else did either…

_(I was willing to die)_

_(I always believed in you…)_


	5. Lament of the Full Moon

Author's note: I'm really sorry for the delay in this chapter. I have been away for a while but I promise, the chapters will come out much faster this time. The song I am using in this chapter is call "Angels" by: Within Temptation the Lyrics are in bold and Italics. Thank you for reading and reviewing! Enjoy the next chapter of Chasing Despair!

I do not own Tales of Legendia. I do own Desari.

_Lament of the Full Moon_

_The moon glistened in the sky hovering above the Legacy. People for miles around the floating ship were looking up at the moon in amazement. A full moon was a rare and exciting occurrence; nothing was as complete as it was. It was beautiful, pure and untainted by an eclipse, creating a shrouding darkness. Everyone was looking happily at the moon, everyone except for Norma Beatty, the Sovereign of Calamity, and Jay the Unseen. For these two, the moon was dark, foreboding, and deceitful._

_**Sparkling angel I believe  
You were my savior in my time of need.  
Blinded by faith couldn't hear  
All the whispers, the warnings so clear.**_

The glimmer was lost in her eyes. Even the brightness of the night sky couldn't penetrate the bleak stare she threw back at the stars. She drew in a deep breath, taking in the melancholy feeling that loomed around her. Everything was different now. A while ago, she would be enjoying the moon with her used-to-be friends. But now, everything is different. Only the shadows and her angst were her company.

"It is how it should be." She plainly tried to convince herself. They had betrayed her trust from the day she met them. They deserve to feel her pain. Them, them and the rest of this dissolute world. All should fall back to the darkness they have asked for so long. So Norma pulled a small wrinkled up diary, which she could still trust. Taking out a small pen, she began to write:

_**I see the angels,  
I'll lead them to your door.  
There's no escape now,  
No mercy no more.  
No remorse cause I still remember**_

_Dear Diary,_

_Convincing myself is still hard. I know that there are more to Desari's words than I am hearing. Something terrible lies beyond her venomous smirk. Even when she does smile, I shiver. I feel like she is leaving something out. Taking souls and giving them to a large crystal tree to erase the world? It all seems too easy. I can't help but feel unsafe under the name "Sovereign of Calamity"_

_Was there ever a time where I felt safe? There was. But it seems like so long ago now. Heh, here I am lamenting like I am old and watching the world go by…_

_It wasn't so long ago; I guess it's just the strain making me feel like it happened eons ago. But I used to feel safe. It was for a ridiculous reason though, I felt safe when I was with JJ. _She scratched out the letters JJ. _Jay the Unseen. He always seemed to know what he was doing. I didn't think anything could go wrong. I thought…I thought I stood a chance in the eyes a former ninja. I mean, we are both kinda outcasts, right? Well, none of that matters now. All that matters is that he betrayed me. He sold me to Desari. Does that mean the he to, wanted this? The destruction of the world? But he fought so hard against the Merines and against Schwartz. They all did…_

_Now I am thinking nonsense again, just like I used to. If I continue to forgive them, or say I love him, I am merely weak._

_I sometimes wonder when they will stop running from me. They never dare to fight me. It is almost pathetic. I'm waiting…_

_I'm waiting for my vengeance._

With that final declaration, Norma closed her diary and looked at the sky once more before standing up and heading back for the ruins.

_**The smile when you tore me apart.  
You took my heart,  
Deceived me right from the start.  
You showed me dreams,  
I wished they'd turn into real.  
You broke a promise and made me realize.  
It was all just a lie.  
**_

The night was dark and the path was long. Norma realized that she wasn't getting anywhere closer to home. There were still miles and miles of road ahead of her, so with a sigh, she took refuge beside a large rock near the water, "I'll rest here tonight." She whispered to herself, before closing her eyes uneasily. She twitched her fingers slightly as a forgotten memory protruded her mind again. Something she never wanted to think of again…

_**Sparkling angel, couldn't see  
Your dark intentions, your feelings for me.  
Fallen angel, tell me why?  
What is the reason, the thorn in your eye?**_

_They were dead. Both of her parents, lying before her in blood. Young Norma tried to find the words, tried to scream, but her voice was lost in her fear. Her heart pounded on her chest like an angry visitor trying to break in. _

_She couldn't believe it. Not even the sight was enough! They had promised that everything would be ok now. They would love her too! They promised when she had run away a few weeks ago after her sister's death. What happened to that promise? What happened to__** their**__ promise? _

_A voice shook her from her dismay as she spun around to catch the source of the voice. All that was there though was a cloaked woman. Her boney hands stuck out form her cloak, which masked her face from the child._

_"It's time to pay back their debt…" Her voice hissed. A sudden surge of adrenaline rushed through Norma and she ran through the doors. She knew not where but she would never tell anyone of this night. She will just say…_

_She ran away._

Jay tossed and turned in his sleep. Beads of sweat were dripping form his forehead when he finally jerked himself awake. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and starred out the window at the full moon. The gentle rays beamed through the window, illuminating the darkness of his room. He had decided to stay in Werites Beacon for the time being, until he could figure out a way to save Norma.

A gentle knock was heard at the door and Jay jerked his head to the side to figure out who was there.

_**I see the angels,  
I'll lead them to your door  
There's no escape now  
No mercy no more  
No remorse cause I still remember**_

"Come in." He said. The door creaked open, revealing the Goddess, Grune.

"I heard you from my room." She whispered, "Is there something wrong?"

Jay looked at his blankets. He wrapped his arms around his topless body and shook his head, not fully responding to Grune's question. The woman took a seat at a table in Jay's room and crossed her legs, "It's Norma, isn't it?"

Jay shifted his gaze to Grune, "It's not like…"

"I've never seen you work so hard on a case Jay. I think what you are doing for Norma now is very noble."

Jay shook his head again, "If it wasn't for me, Norma wouldn't be like this. We wouldn't have to fight her."

Grune put her hand on Jay's shoulder, "It isn't like you to have such self-pity. Have you forgotten? We have all contributed to her pain."

"Yes, but it appears she is particularly angry with me." He said lying back down.

Grune smiled solemnly, "My, you can be quite dense for an information dealer." Jay gave his friend a confused look. She just chuckled a bit, "Wasn't it clear how Norma felt about you?"

Jay shook his head.

"She was in love with you." Grune said in her simple and blunt way of putting things, "You never noticed?"

_**The smile when you tore me apart  
You took my heart,  
Deceived me right from the start.  
You showed me dreams,  
I wished they turn into real.  
You broke a promise and made me realize.  
It was all just a lie.  
**_

The ninja rolled over, "No, never."

"Young love is so cute. In this case, pretty dangerous too." She tried to make him smile, but to no avail. Jay just shot her an angry glare. Grune tilted her head to the side and smiled slightly, yet in a confused way, "Jay?" The ninja glanced back at Grune, "Do you love Norma?"

Jay sat up again and rolled his eyes, "I see no reason to feel…that way…about her. Of course, this is not what I had in mind either."

Grune chuckled, "Jay you're really funny."

Jay raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean 'no reason'?" She leaned back in her chair.

"Well…" He paused, "She's really immature." He kept trying to find reasons, "I like girls who are more down to earth. She…is always after something…out there…" a smile tugged at his lips. He tried to wipe it away, but the thought of everything Norma had done, wild, crazy, and just down right moronic, kept him smiling. He continued, "She's always a hassle to keep up with…But in the end, I wouldn't want anything bad to happen to her. That is why I didn't let her come with us in the first place. I had a feeling something bad was going to happen."

"Jay…" Grune started, she put her arm around his shoulders, "People don't need a reason to fall in love. You're no exception."

Jay looked down into his sheets and felt a blush rise to his face. Grune must have noticed it to because she chortled at the small boy, "So…" she continued.

Jay looked out at the moon, "You don't need a reason to fall in love?"

"Nope. None at all."

"Then I…" All this time, he was oblivious to himself. He knew everything, except for love. He thought of Norma day and night since she left, but it never occurred to him why. She had always been a voice of confidence for him, for everyone she cheered. And not once, did he take time off of his own wants and needs, to think about the difference that one girl had made for him. He closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around his knees, hugging them tightly to his chest, "I do love her."

_**Could have been forever.  
Now we have reached the end**_

Grune smiled, "Then there is still hope-"

Jay looked up, "What?"

"The last time we saw her…she called you JJ. Do you remember?"

Jay nodded, still blushing, "Yes…"

"She still cares about you. Norma is still there. The Sovereign of Calamity has not yet taken over her. I know you can figure out a way to save Norma."

_**This world may have failed you,  
It doesn't give you a reason why.  
You could have chosen a different path in life**_

With that said Grune stood up and dusted the imaginary dust off of her dress. She turned to exit the door when she stopped, "Jay, one more thing."

"Yes?" He asked, slightly confused.

"I found this." Grune handed Jay the wind beaten piece of paper, "I think this is for you."

Jay took the paper and unfolded it. But before he could read it he turned to Grune, "Grune," he started. The Goddess turned around. "Thank you."

Grune smiled and opened the door, "Good night Jay." With that, she left.

_**The smile when you tore me apart.  
You took my heart,  
Deceived me right from the start.  
You showed me dreams,  
I wished they turn into real.  
You broke the promise and made me realize.  
It was all just a lie.  
**_

Jay looked down at the paper and began to read the writing,

_The cold air gently wraps itself around my body_

_Soon the faraway sky will start to grow light_

_Every day, in the mornings when no one's there, I stand in the street_

_I try breathing deeply for a bit_

_The empty sky resembles me greatly_

_Why does the night make people lonely?_

_Nobody understands_

_Lost, I don't have a destination today either_

_But still, I start moving down the street_

_Leaving myself behind_

_That time, were you also lonely?_

_Thinking of my small self, I can't sleep today either_

_If we could at least meet in dreams..._

_Nobody will grant my wish_

_I don't even know how to tell you_

_I'm stopping today too_

_Nobody understands_

_Lost, I don't have a destination today either_

_Nobody will make my dreams come true_

_I can't even walk_

_But still, I start to move through the morning_

_Dawn is breaking_

Jay looked stunned at the paper. He grabbed his jacket and reached into the pocket, pulling out the yellow envelope. It was the unanswered request from years ago, with the same handwriting as the newer letter.

_I know who wrote this!_

_I know who these must have come from…_

_Finally, everything is beginning to make sense…_

_Norma, I remember everything now…everything you meant to tell me._

_It's not too late…_

_**Could have been forever.  
Now we have reached the end.**_


	6. Yellow Letter

_**Yellow Letter**_

_Dear Jay the Unseen,_

_I know you don't know me. I'm from the mainland, so you probably haven't seen me on the legacy either. I heard about you from a friend who lived on the legacy and she said you knew everything and that you were the one who helped her escape the captivity she was in and told her how to get to the mainland. I wanted to say, thank you. If it hadn't been for you, I would have never met her. I admire you soooo much because you are sooooo smart and can tell anyone about anything. Well, I have a small favor I'd like to ask you. If you don't want to do it, then its ok, but I trust you (I know, I know, I don't even know you) but I just feel like I can trust you already. Well here is my request; can you tell me why my parents don't care about me? That's all I want to know. Well, it would be really cool if I could meet you someday, so when that day comes, that's when I want my answer!_

It had been a ridiculous request in the eyes of Jay the Unseen at the time. Even an information dealer shouldn't meddle in the affairs of family. Besides this girl sounded like a nut case. She couldn't even write a letter to people she didn't know. She was too…informal?

It had been rational to decide he would never here from this person again. At the time…well years later…the authoress of the letter returned to his life once again. This time, Jay knew her name. Norma Beatty.

At the time it was ridiculous. Now it was vital.

Jay read the request over and over again. Analyzing it and comparing it to the more recent note he had received from Norma. Still no more clues came to his mind. The boy rubbed his forehead, tapping a pen on the desk.

_You know, for an information dealer, you sure are stupid. _An irate voice hissed from over by his door. Jay stood up from his seat and pulled out a dagger. He knew that daunting voice form anyway. A very ghostly, snake-like voice that belonged to a ivory skinned villain. Desari had entered Jay's room. Her arms folded over her emaciated figure, red eyes glowered at him.

"Desari," the boy hissed through his clenched teeth. Taking a few rapid steps towards Desari, Jay thrust his dagger into Desari's stomach. The woman winced slightly at the pain, but pulled the dagger from her stomach. Yet, not a trace of blood spilled from inside.

"You impudent little…" She cackled, "Did you think I would have allowed you to do that if it would defeat me so easily?"

Jay took on a defensive stance and scowled, "What have you come here for?"

"I have come to help you." I twinge of deceit entwined with her words.

"And Why should I believe that is your true intention? I have no interest in whatever you have to say, now leave."

Desari folded her arms again, her expressions deadly with seriousness, "There isn't that much Norma has left to do. Yet, you sit here trying to play Sherlock Holmes with a couple of cards."

"…" Jay picked up both cards, hiding them from Desari.

"I know…all about those cards." Desari smirked deviously, holding the older information request.

Jays eyes widened, noticing the disappearance of the card form his clasp, "And why have you come? To tell them what it means?"

"Yes." Desai replied simply, a trace of sincerity pulling a small, but genuine smile to her face, "It is a favor I owe to you."

"A favor?" Jay raised an eyebrow.

She turned from him, so he couldn't see the expression on her face, "I owe you so much." Her voice apathetic, "If you hadn't given her instructions to escape captivity…I would've had to kill her."

"Would you be more straightforward?"

A flicker of sadness reflected in her eyes, "Norma wrote you this letter after a girl told her of your work, saving her from captivity. The girl you set free…was my daughter."

_Flashback_

_"Hi. Is anyone sitting here?" a girl with shoulder length obsidian hair said to another girl with short brown hair who was sitting at the fountain, eating lunch alone._

_The brunette girl gazed up and nodded her head, sliding over to give the obsidian haired girl a place to sit down._

_"My name is Mimiru." The girl sat down, "What's your name?"_

_The brunette took a bite out of her sandwich, "Norma Beatty." She smiled, "My teacher is late for classes again."_

_"Oh." Mimiru stated simply, "Are you studying magic?"_

_Norma nodded happily, "Yeah! Wanna see?"_

_Mimiru nodded, "Please!"_

_The two girls walked off into the woods, where no one would catch them practicing magic. Norma readied her straw for battle, "Now this is one my teacher, Sven, taught me." She chanted a small spell, "GRAVE!"_

_Mimiru smiled happily, clapping her hands together, "Can I show you one of mine?"_

_Norma nodded. Mimiru bent down and picked up a random stick from the ground, "My mom showed me this one!" she waved the stick back and forth, "MAELSTROM!"_

_Norma was shocked, dropping her stick to the ground. Her eyes lit up in amazement as she gave Mimiru an immense round of applause._

_"Wow! Wow!" she cheered, "Mimiru is amazing!" A faint blush crossed over Mimiru's face. She remembered how her mother had clapped for her long ago. Lately, her mother had seemed so distant from her. Whenever Mimiru tried to practice her magic for her mother she just smiled slightly and hug her daughter saying._

_"I love you Mimiru. If I could, I would be with you for all of eternity…if destiny were to permit that…" She would hug her tighter and tears would stream down her face. Mimiru never understood the reason for her mother's tears until a few weeks ago._

_She had been held as a captive with her mother for 3 years by a group of people who called themselves the "Dark Heart" Her mother was always taken into special training for something Mimiru would never understand. Then one day she discovered the painful truth._

_Mimiru sat outside the door, shaking. The words she was hearing from the people inside were terrifying. The ones that were saying, "She is Desari, the Empress of Oblivion. Today the transformation is complete. Today we will prove that you can turn any woman into a monster. She will kill her daughter."_

_She gasped, racing down the hallways. Her hear skipped a beat when she saw her mother sitting on the floor, laughing like a maniac._

_"Mother!" She cried. When her mother looked up at her, her eyes were a bright red with a look of desire to kill in them._

_"Mi…mi…ru…" she said in a raspy voice. Mimiru gasped and bounded out of the castle where she was held. Into the forest she ran and finally stopped and sat on the ground. (What will I do?) She thought. She buried her head in her hands and began to sob, "Mommy…" she whimpered like a little baby. But who could blame her? _

_After about five minutes of sobbing, Mimiru remembered a boy that her mother told her about. He knew everything and could help anybody. So she took out a piece of paper and a pencil from her pocket and bean to write:_

_Dear Jay the Unseen…_

_Mimiru was broken from her train of thought by Norma waving her hand in front of her face._

_"You ok?" she smiled. Mimiru smiled back._

_"Yeah, Hey Norma? Have you ever heard of Jay the Unseen."_

_Norma pondered the thought for a little while, "Nope! Never!"_

_"He helped me escape captivity when there were…people…who wanted to kill me."_

_A serious expression crossed Norma's face, "There were people who wanted to kill you?"_

_Mimiru nodded and began to explain the story between her and her mother._

_At first, Norma was silent, then she spoke, "This Jay, guy…can he tell me anything?"_

_"Mmhmm!" Mimiru nodded._

_"Can he tell me…why my parents never loved me?"_

_Mimiru looked surprised, "M-maybe…"_

_"It's worth a try!" Norma cheered and took Mimiru by the wrist, taking her to her dorm so she could begin to write her letter._

End Flashback

Jay snapped back to reality as if he had just had some weird dream about Norma's past with Desari's daughter, Mimiru. He looked up at Desari in bewilderment, "Wh-what was that?" He questioned.

Desari looked to the left, "That was the answer to your question." With that said, the cryptic woman left the room, leaving Jay dumbfounded and confused. Was it real? Was it a dream? This was a situation even the prodigy couldn't quite grasp.

"I have to try again…this time using what I know about Norma as a catalyst to bring her back." He picked up the letter again. There was so much he didn't understand about the treasure hunter and he wanted to see her again so he could learn everything.

"Everyone, I want to try one more time." Jay said in front of the group the next day at Will's house, "This time, I know we can do it."

The others gave Jay a surprised look. All except for Grune who stood up and said, "We all owe her enough tries to make up for the time she has spent dealing with our problems."

They were silent for a moment until Chloe spoke up too, "I owe her so much, I wouldn't know where to begin."

"We'll begin with saving her." Shirley added, putting a hand on Chloe's shoulder.

Senel smiled, "I really don't want to kill Norma, and I'll keep trying until it's too late."

Moses too, jumped up, "We all know the real Bubbles ain't like this! We can find the real her and make her smile real."

Jay felt himself blush slightly, "I owe her for all she has done. I dislike being indebted to anyone."

The others looked at him suspiciously but said nothing, except for Will who stated, "We cannot allow this world to fall for one person, even if this person is our friend." The others stared solemnly at him, "We all know, that Norma would want what is best for this world."

"Which she devoted so much of her life to." Grune added in.

"But, I see as though you will do this regardless," Will continued, "Therefore, I will accompany you."

"But this time," Senel lowered his voice, "We can't hold back," He looked over in Jay's direction, "On _anything_."

"The time has come." Desari whispered, looking at the gigantic crystallized tree.

Norma removed her hands from the cool crystallized surface and smirked, "All we need is one more soul…"

Desari gave Norma a deceitful smirk, "Indeed, Just one more…"


	7. Repentance and Forgiveness

I do not own ToL

_Repentance and Forgiveness_

Moments passed like hours as Senel's group navigated through the Man Eating ruins. Their hollowed steps echoed through the tunnels, which spider webbed out, endlessly changing to fit Desari's needs. The group was silent for the entire journey, trying to suppress their apprehension of the upcoming altercation with Norma Beatty, Sovereign of Calamity. Will finally broke the silence enveloping the crowd, "We need to pick up pace if we wish to make it in time."

Chloe moved uneasily, still maintaining her knightly posture, "I wonder…how much time we have left…"

"She moves quickly," Senel replied quickly, "We probably don't have time for any distractions."

"She may got all them souls she been needin'" Moses added in a downhearted attempt to start a conversation that would at least eliminate the awkward feeling that loomed over the party like a never ending rain cloud.

The party ignored Moses and became dead silent again. Jay kept to himself and his thoughts. Today, a number of things rained down on his mind, one of which was the anxiety he felt for not having enough time to plan an effective strategy for today. He would have to tread in waters he had never once desired or even wanted to try, he would have to trust instinct, him and the others would have to storm the place like a herd of out-of-control rhinos.

Finally the light of the crystal tree beamed from the end of a corridor up ahead and a sudden burst of fear struck the party. Senel shot Chloe a look of sudden uncertainty that she mirrored back to him, shaking her head. This was it…This could be the final chance they have and there was no way they could afford to lose.

The light reflected off of Jay's violet eyes as he tried to look into the room, seeing if Norma was there, or even if…Desari was there. He squinted when the light became brighter and opaque, something was happening inside of that room. He removed his hands from their almost permanent place inside of his pockets when he felt a gently shaking hand on his shoulder.

"H-hello?" the small female voice whispered softly. Jay grabbed the girl's wrist and spun around, his grip as tight as a knot. The girl gasped and step backward, clenching her fists.

Noticing the terror stricken eyes of the girl before him, Jay's tense expression softened. Everyone was silent, only the breath of Jay and the girl could be heard through out the corridors. Jay raised an eyebrow, searching her eyes for answers, "Who are you?" he whispered in a demanding undertone.

Trying to frost her panic stricken eyes over with a look of defiance the girl answered with one solid word, "Mimiru."

The party gave off a quizzical look as Mimiru broke free from Jay's death grip on her wrist. Massaging her aching wrist, her eyes shift from a look of rebellion to her shy gaze that Jay had seen at first. He took a step closer to her. Could this be the Mimiru from the vision Desari had given him? He began to search her for similarities to the demon ahead them. She had thin shoulder length hair and a pale complexion, but nothing like Desari's ivory complexion. But their eyes…they were so similar, a different color, but the smirk on Mimiru's face showed all the resemblance he needed to see in order to tell, she was her. Norma's friend, Desari's daughter and one of his first cases in information dealing, was the same person standing there in front of everyone.

"I have run for too long…" She lowered her voice, tearing the tunnel dirt with her bare foot. She wasn't wearing shoes and her clothing was a short black kimono and tattered obsidian pants. From one glance at her you could see the beatings life has given her. Dark circles framed two deep sapphire eyes, half hidden by dark bangs. She whispered shyly, "I ran from my destiny…"

No one able to offer any words of comfort to this complete stranger, Shirley took a few steps forward and laid a hand on her shoulder. Mimiru, surprised by Shirley's action, glimpsed up at her though her hair and continued, "Please, I know how to defeat Desari, please take me to her." She paused to survey her audience. Back and forth her eyes trailed before she continued; "It appears my suspicions were right…" she trailed off again.

Moses placed his hands on his hips impatiently, "C'mon hon! We gotta place to be, so quit your contemplating and finish your thought!"

Mimiru shot Moses a shyly agitated glare, "NORMA, won't do anything just yet." She finished, reaching her hand into her pocket and pulling out a piece of paper with a bunch of notes sketched on the parchment, "I've been researching Desari, and I think I know how to beat her." She unfolded the sheet and began to read, "A soul of sinners to be sacrificed. To destroy one who chases despair, two streams of the same blood shall flow…destroying two vessels…This shall awaken the heavenly power in the false sovereign to emit a light, to vanquish the souls…A snowfall of light shall sing the angelic chorus of the end of Calamity and Oblivion." After finishing her recitation she cleared her throat and folded the piece of paper, "I think I understand this prophecy."

Jay and Will eyed the black clad girl suspiciously, "And how should we know to trust you?" Jay raised an eyebrow.

The timid angst- filled girl shook her head, "Because…umm…" she twiddled her fingers, "I-I owe you," she said, shaking her head at how wishy-washy she had sounded in front of him, "I do not desire to in indebted to anyone." She quickly changed her statement, sighing contently at how she sounded.

"I don't see how it would hurt," Senel began, "Although I would recommend we keep an eye on her."

"Seeing as though we are already going into this blindfolded, with no other plan," Chloe added, "I think her 'prophecy' is all we have to go on right now-"

Moses held up a hand, "Now hold up!" He blurted out, trying to cut off Chloe, "What does this prophecy mean?"

Mimiru clutched the hilt of her sword, feeling the cool metal on her coarse fingers. The soft sound of metal rubbing against leather was heard as she drew a golden sword from its sheath. It was plain in addition to unadorned, other than the fact that appeared to be solid gold, "Y-you don't need to understand," she shook her head, reverting to her apathetic tone of voice; "There is no place for you in the prophecy." She finished, still trying not to show any of the true fear she felt about going to face Norma. That girl was her best friend- well it had been some years since they had seen each other, but that wasn't what kept Mimiru attached. Norma was the first friend she had ever made, and the idea of seeing what her mother had done to her was in the vein of death to her. But the last thing she could do was allow anyone to see how she truly felt, "As Deari's daughter," her voice quivered with dread and uncertainty, "I must see it through that she is silenced…" a single tear rolled down her face as she quickly tried to wipe it up, "A-Ah…s-stupid allergies…" she lied, wiping her eyes again. (_Warriors don't cry…warriors don't cry_) But she didn't want to be a warrior anymore; she just wanted to be a normal girl…The sword which she was clutching for dear life fell to the ground, making a loud clattering noise. The entire party stood looking at her unable to think of the right words to say. It was like looking at a child who had lost everything, there were no words of comfort and no Brightside.

Mimiru continued to look at the ground; twin streams flowed silently down her face, hoping no one could tell from the sudden heaviness in the air. Then, she felt a weight on her head. It was firm yet gentle, abrasive, yet smooth. She cleared her tears one last time and glanced up at Moses, who was grinning like an idiot, with his hand on her head, "W-what?" she was rendered speechless by the sudden act of kindness.

"In this group, we don't hide nothing from anyone…We all kinda figured that out the hard way!"

Mimiru bit her lower lip, "W-well."

"When we're done here, you'll learn what it means to be part of a family."

"I-I-" She wanted to speak, but she didn't know what to say, "P-part of a family?" She blushed. She couldn't explain the light of happiness that illuminated her body. Family had seen like such a distant luxury for her. Did this man really think she could be able to be a part of this family?

"I think you will fit in just right with the rest of us who suffer from extreme emotional constipation from time to time-"

Jay held up his hand, "Moses please, I see where this is going. And do NOT compare the rest of us to laxatives."

The tears stopped flowing, replaced by a laughing young lady, holding her gut, and wiping awau the excess tears, "Y-you're funny!" She continued to laugh, finally finding the breath to say the words, "Thank you! Umm…I never got your name…"

"I'm Moses Sandor!" He beamed.

"Senel Coolidge." Senel replied simply, the way he does throughout the entire game.

Chloe bowed, "I'm Chloe Valens, pleased to make your acquaintance."

"My name is Will Raynard." Will nodded.

"I'm Jay." Jay added, "Excuse the way Moses comes onto people, he lacks the refinement most toddlers have.

Grune shook her head, "My name is Grune. Welcome Mimiru."

Mimiru smiled at the group, the excitement inside of her built up, "I'm so happy to meet you all."

"As are we," Grune responded, "But right now, we need to save Norma. There will be time to talk later." She smiled her heart-melting smile.

"Yes…" Mimiru concurred. _(A knights duty…is to protect the princess.)_

_Flashback_

_"Hey Norma!" Mimiru called, racing over to Norma who was sitting on the swing set. Cardboard sword in hand, the raven haired girl sat by her friend._

_"Mimiru!" Norma acknowledged gleefully, "You painted the sword gold!" _

_Mimiru laughed, swinging her sword in a knightly matter. She had seen a group of boys playing knights, guarding one of the girl's at the academy. It sounded like a fun game that she and Norma could play, "Hey, Norma?" She started._

_Norma nodded, "Yeah?"_

_"Wanna play castle?" She asked sheepishly, scared that Norma would laugh at how immature the game itself sounded, "You can be the princess…"_

_"ALRIGHT!" Norma leapt off of the swing, punching her fist into the air, "I would love to be the princess they have lots of…" She paused, "Power?"_

_"You mean money, don't you?" Mimiru smirked, placing her hands on her hips, Norma grinned sheepishly, making her friend chuckle, "Well that's alright, I just want to be the knight with the cool sword!"_

_"Well then Mimiru! You can be my knight!" Norma declared. Running over to the jungle gym and climbing to the top, "And this can be our castle, where I wait for a prince to come and save me!"_

_"Ok!" Mimiru called up from where she was stationed below the "castle."_

_End Flashback_

The party entered the luminous room where Norma stood by the tree with Desari just a few feet to her right. Upon noticing their arrival, Desari gave off a low scowl, "I see you have returned…" she growled.

"We're here to get our friend back!" Moses yelled, pulling a spear from where it rested in a bag on his back and throwing it angrily at Desari.

Desari, doing nothing to stop the flying object, watched as it grazed her arm, then watching it fall to the ground, "You wish to fight?" A large sword materialized from the darkness, and fell into her hand, "Fine then," she hissed, "I can't have you messing with my apprentice's sacrifice-"

"Sacrifice!" Both Jay and Norma whispered harshly to themselves. A deceitful smirk played on Desari's face, as Norma looked back at her with a mystified expression. The rest of the party dropped their weapons to the ground.

"You drop your weapons?" Desari snickered menacingly, "Does this mean…you failed to see what you were getting yourselves into?"

"You…" Jay growled, not finishing his sentence to keep this story PG.

"Norma is the _sister_ of the Sovereign of Calamity. Her sister was the one who was born to this position but she died years ago, upon her parents wish to set her free."

Norma's eyes widened in bewilderment as she removed her hands from the tree to go stand behind Desari, "Desari…" She whispered, reaching up her hand.

Desari spun around rapidly, clutching Norma's wrist, twisting the flesh beneath her fingers, "You dare move without my consent?" She hissed, "Your sister was the true Sovereign, you are merely her replacement, the one offered to me by your parents…You know she was their favorite."

"You lie-" Norma tried to speak, but Desari dug her nails into her skin piercing the flesh.

"You impudent brat!" she snarled, "Everyone in the world is born for a purpose, everyone except for you…you can only die!" she let go of Norma's wrist and threw her to the ground, "That's why no one ever loved you. Those without pre-ordained destinies like us are hated," she stopped, "Hate, that is the true nature of man…to rip the people before you apart, to break others down…this world calls for a revolution…no…a DEMISE! Man shall never walk this planet again!"

Norma stood up, "No one cared…"

"And they won't care when you die either!" Desari shoved her again.

"And they won't care when I die…by dying I put my name out there-"

"Out into a world where no one exists." Jay stepped forward, "Do you really believe everything Desari is saying-"

"S-shut up! I hate all of you! Yes! I believe Desari! I won't change my mind, there's no way to turn back now!"

"Now you're just being stupid!" Senel interjected, "The things you're saying aren't even making sense anymore-"

"You never thought they did!" Norma roared, raising her straw and beginning to cast magic.

_(No, not his time…)_ Jay thought as he jumped into the air, flying toward Norma and grabbing her weapon, "The same trick won't work again!"

Norma scowled, now weaponless, she turned to Desari, "Desari, I am truly sorry for what I did…" She wanted to finish her sentence but her memory of how her family was killed by this woman intruded her mind. Desari's sudden cruel outburst spiraled through her body like a raging inferno. She stopped what she was saying and backed away from the two sides of people standing in front of her. All the people starred at her through questioning eyes.

"Norma, please…" Shirley started, but her voice trailed off as Norma wrapped her arms around herself.

"We aren't the same without you." Chloe smiled, "We want you to come back to us. It was you who made my part of the journey so exciting. Even when…things…didn't go so well, I wasn't so upset because the journey was as fun as the goal."

"Lies…" Desari lied.

"Norma, as much as the name 'Senny' irritated me…a part of me felt…damn…I'm not even sure how to say it, other than…it wasn't so bad. It was a symbol of how you cared."

"Your determination to save the world, to be happy, was inspirational for all of us. You kept us from falling apart." Will added

"We all contributed to our own happiness…that is the reason we stayed together-" Norma whispered to herself.

"Norma!" Desari bellowed, "They're lying again. I mean, why now, after everything they have done to you would they come crawling back to you for your forgiveness? Forgiveness is a luxury, not a right, so get the revenge you deserve!"

Norma scowled, "She's ri-"

"You better not be about to say 'she's right'!" Moses shouted, pointing a finger at Norma, "Because the Norma I know would have never gone along with someone spewing such nonsense without question."

"Sandor is right!" Chloe concluded.

"Your words are very touching," Norma looked at the group of her old friends, almost unable to stop the pleasant memories from overflowing in her. Yet she denied their words, "But words are just words, can you follow through with action?" With that said she went back to the tree. _(When I die, I won't have to make anymore decisions. I won't put up with Desari's abuse or my friend's hollow words.)_

She placed her hands about the smooth bark and closed her eyes, filling the tree with all of her power. Feeling the loss of her power flowing into the tree she sighed, letting her knees beneath her begin to give out as she felt her soul separate from her body.

From the group, Jay's eyes widened in terror as he watched Norma begin to weaken. His body froze and everything the others were saying, pleas to stop. But he remembered one thing…

_(Can you follow through with actions?) _The words kept resounding in his mind until he finally thought of a way to save Norma, _(You want an action to prove everything Norma?) _He dashed from his spot as an onlooker, rushing to Norma's side, also placing his firm hands on the crystal next to her. Norma gasped and looked over at him.

"W-what are you doing?" She demanded, trying to sound apathetic, but her heart pounded at her chest, like a little sibling trying to break into their brother or sister's room, "If you keep doing this, you will die!"

"You wanted an action to prove that we will stick to our word, am I correct?" he looked at her through the corner of his violet eyes.

"Why would you-" she continued, the voice of Norma Beatty piercing through the veil of her dark appearance.

"Norma, I never told you…ugh!" A sudden rip of pain seared through his body as the tree began to accept his soul.

"What?!" she asked anxiously, wanting him to remove his hands from the tree.

"I wanted to say…I'm sorry." He whispered weakly, trying to hold on until he broke through to her.

"J-Jay…" she whispered, looking down at the ground, "Do you mean that?"

"I do." He replied uneasily, noticing that his hands were shaking. Apologizing was never something he was very good at. He preferred to brush off his faults with a sarcastic remark, or a jab at someone else's lack of wits. But there was no denying where he was wrong this time. He had to be honest, and it was the hardest thing to be, "And I'll…prove it you now!" the agony spread through his body, _(Take me instead…)_ He thought to himself. He gritted his teeth together, refusing to show any signs of pain and keep smooth expression on his face.

Norma though, could see through the mask of comfort he had on, "Y-you," She felt her heartbeat faster as she turned her head to look at the others, who were glued to every action of the two. Their fingernails were glowing.

"We'll help too." Senel started.

"It is my duty to protect…a friend." Chloe smiled.

"They're never gonna take you from us!" Moses added, looking out of the corner of his eye to Mimiru, who had concealed herself in the shadows.

"We've been through so much!" Shirley called, smiling her shy little smile at Norma.

"To allow just one of us to go." Will finished Shirley's thought, "Even Harriet wants you to return home."

"You were my best friend…even when I had lost my memory, you supported me." Grune praised, "You don't have to be alone anymore."

Norma began to feel her hands shake like a violent earthquake was rattling beneath them, "I-I-" she whispered meekly.

_(Norma, don't lose sight of everything you have here. You sure are one lucky girl) _A reserved voice whispered through the shadows.

Norma recognized the voice, but was unable to put a face to it. Even Desari looked confused, her gaze shifting to the shadows where she saw nothing.

Norma continued her statement, "I'm not alone!" She looked over at Jay. He turned to face her and for a moment nothing was said, until Norma took the hand of the ex-ninja in her own, "Its ok, you can let go now." She smiled. Her hair lost its raven color and long length, returning to its short brunette style. Her eyes lost their glazed stare and returned to the chestnut brown that they used to be. The tattoo on her side began to fade away as her raven dress was replaced by her sunny yellow one.

Hey eyes shivered in regret and blame, as she tried to figure out what to do now. Everything she had been doing up until a while ago was for herself, and for blind revenge. In her beating heart, she knew she was no better than Schwartz, or the Merines. She was even as bad as Desari. She reached her hand over and placed it gently on Jay's, "Please," she smiled weakly, "Let's _both_ let go."

"No!" Desari's snake like voice rang through the air as former Sovereign of Calamity clasped her hand into the one of the ex-ninja, "You…" she lowered her head and was silent, thinking of a way to revolutionize Norma's sudden change of heart.

Finally her shoulders began to shake with silent laughter. Norma and Jay took a step back, the rest of the party following their movement. A loud cackle was heard from Desari as she lifted her head, gripping her sword tightly, "Did you really think…" she hissed in a rasping voice, "that you could just betray me at your convenience? Well my dear Norma, I am beyond trying to stop you…I will kill you!" She swung her blade at the party as Jay and Norma let go of each others hands to grab their weapons. Norma realized she did not have her straw anymore and shot her comrades a look of confusion.

"Norma," Jay said handing her the straw she used in combat, "Go be backline support."

Norma grinned, feeling accepted as part of the group once again, "Aye Aye JJ!" she cheered, running to the backlines to help Will, Norma and Shirley who were already casting from the back. She took her place next to the Shirley and began to cast tractor beam.

"It's good to have you back," Shirley whispered cheerfully, looking at her friend. Norma laughed, waving her straw back and forth, "It feels awesome to be back!"

The battle continued, with constant gains and loses. The winner seemed unclear from the way advantages grew and disappeared. But although weakened, out of gels, and panting on the ground, the group still tried to defeat Desari, who was also covered in blood and bruises.

"You thought you had won?" Desari sneered and began to glow black, growing two demonic wings out of her back, "Well think again." Her lustrous red eyes gleamed through the dark veil around her. And when the glow disappeared, all of her wounds were healed. She cackled evilly, watching as the group fell to the ground, almost out of hope, "So accept your burial in eternal despair-" she stopped and the party looked up and gasped.

Blood dripped from Desari's stomach as she began coughing and coughing, gasping for air unavailable to her. Moses noticed something stuck in Desari's stomach.

"Hey y'all, ain't that Mimiru's sword?" He pointed a weak finger toward the gold blade, piercing Desari.

"Desari," Mimru's voice said inaudibly from behind her mother, "I have come in search of you for a long time now…"

"Mimiru…" Desari whispered, unable to turn and face her daughter, "It's you…"

Mimiru bit her lip, "I couldn't let you do this mother, I'm not sorry." She drew the blade form inside the woman's stomach and watched it clatter to the ground, along with the body it had supported.

Norma looked across toward the friend she had not seen for many years, "Mimi-" she whispered, but Mimiru held up a hand.

"Norma, I'm glad I got to see you again…" She smiled, her eyes welling up with tears, which she choked back.

"Mimiru! It's been so lo-" wait…something was off. Mimiru seemed to be hiding something, "What do you-" She reached out her hand to her friend who shook her head.

"It is our destiny Norma…That of a knight and a Princess." She tried to bring back memories of their good friendship.

"Destiny? Mimiru? What do you mean?" Norma clutched her head in confusion. Mimiru turned her back to her friend.

Then Desari, using the last of her strength…picked up the gold sword from the ground…


	8. Chasing Happily Ever After

Author's note: Well everyone, I have indeed enjoyed writing _**Chasing Despair: Will you grant my wish**_, and all the support I got form you guys was amazing. You really were able to push me along in writing this with your comments. It makes a newbie like me feel so loved

Actually I'm surprised so many people liked it. JayXNorma isn't the most popular pairing, but I always thought they were cute together. (Personally though I think towards the end of the game there was something between him and Grune )

Well after this is over, I think I will return to my oneshot collection (Tales of the Unseen)

I may write another story later…depends I'm really lazy.

Well you don't have to read my boring notes anymore, I'll star actually writing the final chapter….TT Gosh I'm gonna miss writing this…

**Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Legendia. I DO, however, own Desari and Mimiru**.

_**Chasing Happily Ever After**_

_Then Desari, using the last of her strength…picked up the gold sword from the ground…_

The long haired woman forced her weight onto the hilt of the sword, pushing herself up to stand behind Mimiru, who had stepped over her mother's body to get closer to the others. Desari coughed loudly and hoarsely, gripping the hilt, the anger in her eyes piercing through the girl who had pierced her with the very sword she leaned on now, "Mi…mi…ru…MIMIRU!" With one swift motion, Desari drew the sword from the ground, thrusting the cold metal through her daughters back.

Mimiru jerk forward, her eyes dilating before losing her balance and falling into the blade. Desari withdrew the blade from inside of the raven-haired girl, causing her to crash to the ground with a loud thud. A dismal appearance flickered in Desari's ruby eyes as she too, began to lose her balance, "My daughter…" She whispered, "We have chosen separate destinies…but now…now we can accept the same fate…" She began to wilt towards the ground, clutching the sword until she finally fell.

"Mo- Desari…" Mimiru whispered through her lips as she looked back at the group through two narrow slits that formed her eyes. Norma collapsed to her knees beside Mimiru, taking the hand of her friend into her own.

"Mimiru!" the treasure hunter called through tearing eyes. Her hand began to shake and she gritted her teeth together, "Mimiru…why?"

Mimiru moved her lips to speak, "Norma…my mother's spirit is…cough it's still alive-"

"Stop hon'!" Moses yelled, trying to sound like he knew what could be done to save her, "You shouldn't be talking!"

Mimiru smiled sadly at Moses, tears brimming ocean blue eyes as she continued, "My mother…her body may be dead…but prophecy says…Norma…you can destroy her spirit, preventing anymore- UGH!" She stopped again.

_One breath_

_Then nothing_

_One more breath_

_She continued_

"Only you can destroy her spirit, then we will have truly won-" She placed her free hand over her stomach and winced.

Norma nodded slowly, "Please…don't go!" She turned to the rest of the group, "Will! Shirley!" She called, forgetting their nicknames, "Please heal her!"

The two crystal erens sat beside the dying body and casted cure. The bright green glow engulfed Mimiru's body, which seemed to be taking on no changes. Finally the two stopped.

"It's just like Stella…" Shirley looked at the ground in failure.

"Our eres flow right through her…" Will finished, still kneeling beside the girl.

Norma shook her head, trying to hold back the tears that involuntarily streamed down her face, "Then let me try!" Norma tried to cast revive. Even when she noticed it was doing nothing, she only tried harder. Finally Mimiru's voice broke through her efforts.

"Stop it Norma…" she whispered, clutching her friend's hand, "This is my destiny-"

"Don't say that! You always talked about choosing you future!" Norma clutched her friend's hand back.

"I'm happy with the life I lived…" She looked over at Moses, who was standing her feet, "Moses, I only just met you…but when you made me smile…I felt like I could finally fit in somewhere…" She closed her eyes, "I was really looking forward to being a part of this 'family'." A tear rolled down her cheek.

"There will be time for that when we get back! You're gonna be ok!" Moses responded, squeezing his eyes shut.

The raven haired girl looked back at her friend and gave another smile, "A knight's duty…cough…is to protect the princess…Do you remember? When we were little?"

Norma nodded through sobs she had lost the strength to fight back, "We were on the jungle gym, playing castle."

"I will protect you even after death…" she concluded, her grip on Norma's hand, "Th…ank…you…goo…d…bye…" Finally her eyes shut and the life seeped from her face.

_One breath_

_Then nothing_

_One breath_

_Then sincerely…nothing_

"Mimiru!" Norma yelled, shaking the frosty body of her friend. She looked at the peaceful smile on her tear stained cheeks, and finally let go of her hand.

_To destroy one who chases despair, two streams of the same blood shall flow…destroying two vessels…_

_This shall awaken the heavenly powers of the false Sovereign _

"Norma…" Shirley said quietly, placing her hand on her friend's shoulder.

Norma turned around to the rest of the group and wiped the tears from her face, "Well, it looks like we need to destroy Desi's spirit, huh?"

_Desi?_

The treasure lover walked back to the tree and began to study it, looking for someway to destroy it, "I think-"

"You're faking it again." Jay said, with slight irritation in his voice.

"What?" she replied nervously, taking a step down from the tree and over to Desari's body, "Oh JJ! Before I forget," She knelt down beside the woman's body and unwrapped her hand from around the sword hilt, where she was also holding a small bell, "I'm not sure how she got a hold of this thing, but…" she picked up the bell and brought if over to her friend, "It's yours! I'd recognize it from anywhere!" She placed the small bell in Jay's hand and playfully put her hand behind her back, grinning.

"T-thank you Norma…" was all Jay could say through the lump that had formed in his throat. He looked at his feet as he ground them into the ground unnoticeably. Norma beamed and spun around and returned to the tree. Once again Jay looked up at the brightly dressed treasure hunter. Just a little while ago, they were sworn enemies, now she was smiling at him with all the strength she could come up with. Jay had told himself he would be a better friend to her; he wouldn't brush off her smiles as the truth, "Norma, what _exactly_ are you doing?"

Norma paused for a second, biting her lip. Then, she turned and faced her friends. Will glanced down at her hand where she clutched the prophecy Mimiru had held.

"Norma, do you know something about this prophecy?" He interrogated, raising an eyebrow.

"Mimiru wasn't very clear when she talked about it." Senel added, nodding at Will's comment. He too worried that something was being hidden. This must have bee the most spontaneous commitment the group had ever made. Everything was coming together in a rigid fashion where for each good thing that happened, one bad thing would happen. "She never really explained what the prophecy meant."

"Norma…" Chloe murmured, lowering her gaze, "What does it mean?" She eyed her friend through her black bangs.

Moses shook his head vehemently, striding away form Mimiru's corpse, "Mimiru knew she was gonna die…" He raised his chin to look at the brunette girl, "We ain't takin no more surprises!"

Norma turned around and shrugged, keeping a smile on her face, "It's not like I really know or anything…I'm just kind of going on impulse here." She grinned, "Anything could happen!" She then spun around on her heel and proceeded to the tree again.

_This time I will use my power to save people…the way they want to be saved…._

She placed the palms of her hands onto the cool crystal tree and closed her eyes.

_I can't lie anymore_

Feathers rose up from the ground below her.

_I won't make my friends suffer because I'm weak, ya'know?_

Her yellow dress began to glow.

_This world is full of so many errors…but full of even more happiness_

_Together…with Jay and the others…we are trying to change the world._

A single tear rolled down her cheek.

_Mimiru wanted to change destiny…she died for the sake of a happier world today._

"Norma!" Jay called from the back where he and the others were watching in awe. Norma closed her eyes tighter.

_Stella gave her life to give us a chance to move forward._

_Grune died, telling us to walk into the future._

_Fennimore died to protect the hope of her people._

The tree made a strange whirring sound.

_How can a world where so many people are willing to die to protect it be such a bad thing?_

Norma felt the weight of her body lighten as she looked at her translucent hands. A sad smile found its way to her face and she closed her eyes again.

"Norma!" She heard Jay call again. Was it concern she heard in his voice? He never was one to openly show concern, and even on the few occasions where he did, which was about as often as a solar eclipse, it was only for a brief second before he was back to being Jay…ish? It took all her will power to not turn around to look at him and the rest of her friends, who she could feel now all were attempting to use sacred eres to protect her.

Finally she turned around to face the others. Through her body, the active tree was clearly visible. Jay took in a deep breath, not wanting yell or scream or otherwise do something he would regret later. He had been trained to not show emotion, but now…it seemed to be his only hope.

It was just like when Grune disappeared. She too, had become a translucent figure, standing upon the Altar of the Sea. She had a look of guilt spread across her usually carefree face as she stood in a dumbfounded state. That look came to the face of Norma as she hung her head as a way of not looking at the mystified expressions on her comrades faces.

"She doesn't know what to say…" Grune muttered. The party turned to face the green clad goddess as she looked at Norma through intense eyes, "She understands the consequences she must face for her wrong doing…"

"G-girl!" Norma said, with some harshness in her voice, "Everyone, just trust me…ok?" She beamed, flashing her white teeth to the group. Meanwhile, behind her, the trees roots spider webbed trough out the dirt ground, over to Desari's body. The luminous roots grasped the woman's hands and feet, becoming crystallized as they touched her flesh.

Norma glanced over at Desari's body, which lay near Mimiru's. When she looked at the two of them, both dead, there was a clear resemblance between the mother and her child. Norma bit her lower lip in regret.

_Don't cry_

_Hold back your tears_

_It's only for a little while_

Her heart thumped against her chest. Her mind raced as she looked at her translucent hands.

_(I don't have much time)_ She thought to herself as she switched her gaze back to her friends and stepped down from the tree, which had destroyed Desari's spirit and was just waiting for her to seal it. The roots that once grasped the ebony haired lady had fallen loosely on the floor, needing Norma's power to destroy its crystal surface, locking away the power forever.

"Well…" she started awkwardly, shifting her weight to her left leg, "I don't know what to say-"

"Norma, do you plan on dying?" Chloe whispered through a restricted voice.

Norma folded her arms across her chest, "No, it wasn't planned. It's just kinda like one of things that can't change."

The party went silent, no one sure of what to say next. It wasn't like they really came here knowing anything about Desari or the crystal tree. Shirley's eyes brimmed with tears, which she wiped away with her pink sleeve, "Gnorma!" she called, taking a step toward the treasure hunter. She wanted to slap her, slap her like she had done to Chloe when she planned to leave the Legacy. She raised her hand screwing her eyes tightly shut as she brought her hand to Norma's face. But when her hand went through the brunette, she jolted her eyes open, looking at her with a heartrending look of bewilderment, "Gnorma!" she said again, balling her fists, and hanging her head to the ground. After that her voice became almost inaudible, "Why…"

Norma took a step closer to her friends, "Have you guys realized how many people have died for this world?" Shirley looked up from the ground, "All of them were willing to do anything for a better world right?" She scratched her head, looking for better words, "Well, I think it would be kind of a waste ya'know? If I don't…go…well then, what's gonna be left of the world after Desari returns."

Jay gritted his teeth together and removed his hands from his pockets. Violet eyes flashed angrily at the girl giving the sermon in front of him, "Stop it Norma."

Norma stopped what she was saying and looked at the ivory skinned strategist with a twisted expression of annoyance and misery as she unfolded her hands and took a step towards him, "EXCUSE me?" Her arms went up, flailing about in her usual manner.

"Do you earnestly expect us to walk out of here happily without you? You really are a stupid treasure hunter."

"Jay!" Senel said harshly.

"You talk like all is well in Norma-land. Did you forget why we came here _so_. _Many. Times! _You are no different than Desari if you see so little value in your life. 'Can't change'? That is by far one of the dumbest things I've heard." He paused, waiting for a reaction to Norma. When all she did was lower her gaze in guilt, he continued, "You speak like we won't even care…I myself cannot speak for the intentions of the others," He took another step closer to Norma, "But I can speak for myself," He was just inches away from her face now. Though all she was now was a spirit, Norma could feel the heat of his body close to hers; she closed her eyes and lowered her head to the ground, starring at their shoes, centimeters apart. Her arms hung limply at her side and her bangs covered her blameworthy face. A single tear meandered down her face. Jay noticed Norma's sudden change and fear and began to mentally kick himself for his choice in vocabulary. His expression softened and he put his hand where Norma's shoulder was. His hand was shaky and awkward and from a bystander it looked more comical than romantic. But this is a romance story between essentially, two clowns, "Look at me." he whispered self-consciously.

Norma noticed his hand on her shoulder from the corner of her eye and looked into his eyes. She had to slant her eyes downwards, but not far because he was only an inch shorter than her. Still he WAS short. Of course she took notice of that and chuckled a little, "Jay? Finish your thought…" she whispered, fearing she would soon disappear.

"I came here…" he started, slanting his eyebrows.

"C'mon Jay!!" Moses coaxed from the back, his tan hand cupped around his mouth like a megaphone. The next thing they heard was the contact of Will's first to Moses' head.

Norma chuckled and a light shade of pink crossed jay's face, "I came here…" the words stopped at his throat, "I came because…"

Norma was getting impatient.

"I came because…" he stuttered.

Her body began to dissipate. Starting at her feet,

Turning to dust.

Everyone's eyes fixated upon the girl before them disappearing. Shirley, latched onto Senel's arm, sobbing pathetically. Chloe hung her head in shame; a tear traced her face, invisible to the others. Will tensed trying to look tough, ideas racing through his head as to how to help Norma. It was Grune who finally spoke the words that everyone was hesitant to say.

"It's over…" she whispered, "There is nothing that can be done." She paused, folding her hands together, "Her destiny is to block Desari's powers from ever becoming active again, by becoming a part of that tree."

"Grune, how can you say that so calmly?" Chloe questioned with a twinge of anger entwined in her voice.

"It's ok C!" Norma tried to smile, but Jay's hand on her shoulder made sure no lies could escape her lips, "I mean…sure I don't want to die. I really wanted to go back home with you guys. But I guess I can't change my fate." Her fingertips turned to dust, "I don't have any time." Those words of remorse frosted her voice as she looked at Jay. In her heart, she still wanted to know what he was trying to say. And in his eyes, she knew he still wanted to tell her.

Jay's heart raced at an unhealthy pace as he attempted to tell Norma why he had come to save her. _(Come on,) _He thought, _(Why is this so hard to say? All I have to do is OPEN MY MOUTH AND SAY IT!) _

Well that is something that is easier said than done. Especially if the emotion in question is the most overpowering of all emotions, it can make or break you. And Jay, he never wanted to be broken. He felt his bones tense and the blood rush to his face. His violet eyes enlarged, but no tears came to them. His ears rang with anxiety and he dropped his hand from Norma's shoulder, "Norma…please don't leave…" his voice was muffled and quiet, but certain of his choice of words, "Don't leave me-…us." The boy thought he had cleverly hidden the word 'me' but the smile on Norma's face said otherwise.

Now all the remained were her shoulders and her head, "Goodbye…everyone…I'm sorry…" With last words, her body turned to dust, dispersing into the air around them.

Senel hung his head.

Shirley cried

Chloe clenched her fists, eyes openly miserable

Will closed his eyes remorsefully

Moses shook his head, returning to Mimiru's body, to lift her form the ruins.

Grune prayed

But Jay…was silent…She was gone, just like that; the hyper brown eyed teen was gone…

Months passed. Or was it weeks? Days? Seconds? Jay wasn't sure. He never looked at the time; he didn't want to know how long she had been gone. The souls of those taken by Norma had been returned to their bodies. None of them remembered what happened, that the one who had caused them their pain had _died_ to give them back their lives. One could say she got her just desserts, but there are those who knew her. Those who cared about her. There was one who loved her. Now all that remained was the engravings of her name on her grave stone, which lay horizontally from her friend's, even the woman responsible for the uprising was in the same vicinity of the other two.

"It seems that this cemetery gets bigger every day…" Jay muttered to himself, dusting specks of dirt that had accumulated on Norma's grave. This place had become almost like a second home to the strategist. He spent from sun up to sun down waiting by her grave. Sometimes, he would even mumble to 'her' at times. He found himself thinking about her all the time. Where was she? Was she happy? Was she sad? But most often, he found himself thinking: What does she think of him? In the end, he couldn't even say ANYTHING to save her. No one had taken any action. But what was there? She had disappeared…and all he could do was watch.

"Thought you'd be out here," the bandit's voice said from behind Jay, "You been here a lot lately."

Jay twisted his expression into a scowl, "What do you want you stupid bandit?"

Moses beamed, the way Norma did, "I just decided to see if you wanted some company." He held up a bucket of water, "'Sides, I need to clean of Bubbles and Mimiru's graves!"

Jay didn't respond, he just continued to brush dirt off of Norma's grave.

"You wanna talk about it?" Moses asked, kneeling in front of Mimiru's grave.

"Not with you." He looked at the other man through the corner of his plum colored eyes. But his response was weak and half-hearted.

"I already know it's about Bubbles…" the bandit's voice became lower and more serious, "You wanna tell me what you were trying to say back there?"

Jay looked up abruptly and turned his face to Moses, "How did you-"

"It wasn't that hard to see."

Jay once again didn't respond. He took a washcloth from the side of the water bucket and began to really clean Norma's grave. Moses took another washcloth and preformed the same task with Mimiru's.

"Ya'know, had she lived, I think I would have grown really fond of Mimiru." A small smile spread across his face, "She had a strong sense of caring for family. Even though she did it, I don't think she really wanted to kill Desari."

_I would have been fond of you too Moses…_ That's what she would have said if she had been there.

"What do you mean?" Now Jay just thought Moses was crazy.

"Desari gave birth to Mimiru. There's a strong connection between blood relatives, no matter what one does. That's why it always hurts to hurt them, no matter what." Moses spoke with the most logic he could, "I'll never forgive Desari, not only for what she did to the world and to Bubbles, but what she did to her child."

"I see." Jay looked at the ground.

"So Jay, that's why I came here, now you gotta tell me!"

"I don't see how the two subjects are related." He rolled his eyes, still scrubbing at the stone. For a few minutes, neither of the two boys spoke. Moses was deep in thought. Maybe Jay should let him clean Norma's grave? Would that make a difference? _(No)_ He thought to himself, shaking his head slightly, _(He wants to know what I wanted to say…and he won't leave until I tell him)_ He placed the washcloth into the bucket and stood up, "You really must know?" he said hesitantly, jamming his hands into his pockets.

Moses threw his washcloth into the bucket, "Yahoo! Now we're talkin'!"

"Please!" Jay hissed, "If you do that I will never tell you!"

Moses scratched the back of his head, "Ok, ok I'll stop!"

Jay ground his foot into the grass. He couldn't think of a way to come about saying what he wanted to say. He looked at the sky as if the right words were written somewhere in the clouds…

_Where am I? _

She was lost in the middle of nowhere. What surrounded her were strange blue lights that flew gently by her. Their aqua colors offered fiery warmth every time one brushed against her skin.

_What is this place?_

Around her was what appeared to be a galaxy where cool colors like blue and purple collided with the stars and the floating blue lights. Norma took a look at the simple white dress she was wearing.

_This place…_

From below her feet, small glittering white flowers blossomed, releasing golden sparkles into the air.

"Norma?" a familiar voice said to her. Norma turned around to face her friend, Mimiru, who stood behind her. She was clad in a beautiful gold embroidered, green kimono with especially long sleeves that covered her hands. Her hair was neatly pinned back into a ponytail with a small angel feather charm hanging off of the side. Atop her eyes, the color green painted the flesh. Glitter splashed upon her pale cheeks and she smiled her innocent smile. The usually unadorned Mimiru was now dressed elaborately, which is probably why she looked so meek.

"Wow!" Norma beamed, rushing to her friend, "Meem! You look gorgeous!"

"O-oh!" Mimiru blushed, fiddling with her sleeve and biting her lip, "These were the garments given to me in the afterlife-"

"The afterlife??" Norma jumped back. This is the afterlife? "So I'm like really dead?"

"That's what I thought to when I saw you." She brought her sleeve to her mouth, "Well, we…"

"We?" Norma questioned, calming down a little.

"My mom and I…" She pointed a trembling finger behind her, to a woman wearing a rose red kimono. The raven haired woman stood up and slowly made her way over to her daughter. Unlike Mimiru's elaborate ensemble, this woman wore a simple red kimono down to her knees. Her thin black hair was finally pulled away from her face, tied limply with a piece of white cloth. Her face was beaten and burned. Blood trickled from her eyes and bled through her sleeves. Her left leg was broken and healed only with the fabric of Mimiru's kimono which she had ripped off to aid the woman. The woman parted her dry lips and shook her head.

_Was that really Desari? The all mighty woman who terrorized the world was now broken and shabby._

"She was condemned to hell." Mimiru began, holding the woman's arm, "I snuck out of here and brought her with me, but she is badly beaten." Her cerulean eyes eyed a gate up ahead, "The gate to heaven…"

"What?" Norma asked, slightly confused.

"I can never take Desari there. We will stay here in the Land in Between…" She looked at her friend and smiled, "But you Norma," she held out her free hand, allowing her sleeve to fall back in the slightest bit, "You don't belong here either…" She clasped her hand around Norma's wrist, "Go home…"

"What?" Norma felt her face turn pale, "But I'm-"

"Your time has yet to come. I left Jay in charge of protecting you in my mind; don't allow him to fail yet."

Desari finally spoke up, "We can send you home…But let me inform you of one change…"

"Yes…" Norma's voice quaked slightly.

"Grune has returned to her place in the world. She will not be there when you return. Are you sure you desire to return without her?"

Norma bounced back a little and took her hand from Mimiru's grasp, placing both of her hands on her hips and shifting her weight to her left foot, "I think…I know I will be ok! Desari, I am not alone, you were wrong."

And awkward smile came to the woman's face, "Perhaps so…"

The Norma turned to Mimiru and her eyes began to water.

"Norma, I will miss you." Mimiru took both of Norma's hands in hers this time, "Promise me, you will live out your life fully!"

Norma dropped her hands and ran into her friend, tightly embracing her, "Mimiru! I don't want you to stay here! Come back!"

Mimiru ran her fingers through the brunette's hair, "Norma, you were my best friend. I wanted to see the rest of the world with you like friends should…" Their bodies began to glow, "I sometimes wish I hadn't died…"

It was after those words that everything went white. Norma never saw Mimiru and Desari again as she was whisked back to the Legacy.

"I love her…" Jay mumbled sadly, losing his character.

Moses grinned stupidly, "Yeah, I know-"

"You knew." Jay growled, "Then why did you make me tell you?!" His voice became more intense.

"YAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Moses jumped, grabbing the pale of water and rushed away from the cemetery. Jay spun around about to follow the red head when he heard a voice.

"Owiiieeeee…" mumbled Norma, rubbing her backside. She was back in her yellow dress, looking as clumsy as ever. She was sitting atop her grave, looking disoriented and foggy. Next to her was her Peepit Straw that she chose to fight with.

Jay stood dumbfounded. Was it her? Was Norma really there? He took a deep breath and one step closer to the girl. Norma looked up at him, her face turning crimson.

"JJ!" She yelped, covering her mouth quickly. She lowered her voice, "Why are you here?"

Jay put his right heel forward, "Norma…"

"Yeah?"

"Norma…" He couldn't think of anything else to say so he repeated her name like a broken record.

"Yes!" She said, slightly irritated, "Geez, I already responded, so what do you want?"

He bit his lower lip, "I just…wanted to say your name…" He said humbly.

Norma bent forward, trying to make eye contact. Jay did his best not to blush, "What?" he stuttered, "Don't look at me like that you stupid chick!"

She closed her eyes and smiled, "I'm…home…"

And for that second, Jay let his guard down. He let all of his dignity and pride fall like a broken vase. He placed his hand upon the treasure hunter's face and the other one wrapped around hr waist. Norma blushed like made now and Jay's hands were uncertain and lacked any ease or elegance. But Norma didn't mind, this is what she wanted…for a long time. She threw her arms around him, smiling like a child. The strategist's face was inches away form her ear as he whispered, "I'm glad…you're here. I…" He was going to try again, this time he wouldn't back out. He held his feet firmly into the ground and whispered, "I lov-"

"I love you JJ!" Norma sang, tightening her death grip on the strategist. Jay sighed in content, knowing she had done the hard part. But he was never one to allow someone to have the bigger achievement. He pulled his face away from her ear and looked her in the eyes. Never in his life did he think Norma's reaction would scare him. Never did he feel so exposed. Never did he feel like he wasn't in charge. Was that love? Was love a feeling of sharing your power with someone else. Were you supposed to be proud of another more than yourself? Was she your biggest accomplishment? Did she come first before him and before anyone?

Now you may snicker and laugh and tell me this didn't happen, but here is where the scene became surreal. The great Jay the Unseen leaned upward, pressing his lips against Norma's. Never had he kissed anyone in his life intentionally and trust me…it wasn't Titanic romance. Norma immediately, well after comprehending what just happened, leaned inward to kiss the boy back, "Norma…I…I love you too…"

_Here it is folks, a tale of polar opposite love._

_An unbelievable paradox_

_A story of anger _

_Of family_

_Of friendship_

_Never _

_Ever_

_Forget those bonds you share with them_

_They are the promise of your Happily ever after…_

_**Chasing Despair: Will you Grant my Wish?**_

_Fin _

Well how was it? I'm sorry it took so long, but I really hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Sorry if it was too mushy…I just really wanted to give it a happy ending ya'know? Well, I would really like reviews from everyone, good or bad! Thank you all so much, you rock!

Oh and I actually have decided on my next story. It will be a Tales of Legendia story, and yes, it will be a Jay story. I just love writing about him. There will be an OC in this (don't kill me Demon Waffle D2K) The undertones of this story will probably be less serious than the others I have written and the OC will not be the norm. To read more about this new story please click this link which will be ready by October 1, 2007.   click this to see more about the story.


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